Your next bottle of liquor or beer might look a little different

It’s a simple case of supply and demand. When COVID forced bars and restaurants to close, people drank more at home. Retail alcohol sales spiked, and bottle-makers couldn’t keep up. “It takes a lot of time and effort to produce glass, and [the industry is] not as nimble as you need it to be. So finite capacity is certainly an issue,” said Jason Mietus, who oversees bottle distribution for Veritiv, a global supply company that runs a warehouse in Belle Vernon. Mietus said, as with other types of manufacturing, pandemic-related factory closures and a lack of skilled labor have slowed bottle production. Shipping delays have also snarled global supply chains.

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