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12/21/2025 Drinkers say Texas vodka worth a shot Tito's was the 2025 spirit of choice around the commonwalthRead Now The Virginian Pilot
john.buzbee @virginiamedia.com Tito's Handmade Vodka was once again the preferred hooch of Virginians this year, according to the Virginia ABC. Tito's was the state alcoholic beverage control authority's top seller for the eighth year in row - customers purchased $75 million worth. Bottled and distilled in Austin, Texas, Tito's poured past the No. 2-selling liquor by over $40 million. Hennessy VS Cognac sold $32.2 million worth of units. Jack Daniel's Tennessee Whisky sold $27.4 million statewide, Jim Bean Bourbon sold $22 million and Patrón Silver tequila $20 million. Tequila sales grew last year, making up six of the 10 fastest-growing labels. About 1.6 million cases of vodka were sold, making it the preferred spirit of the commonwealth based on volume sold. There were about 1.1 million cases of tequila sold, followed by about 800,000 cases of whiskies, 526,000 cases of cordials and 406,000 cases of rum. In 2024, Virginia ABC reported nearly $1.5 billion in total gross sales, marking an increase from the 2023 total. But the number of adults who partake in alcohol has dropped to an all-time low in the past 90 years, at just 54%, based on a 2025 Gallup poll. Profits generated by Virginia ABC stores, the only retailers of liquor in the commonwealth, go toward the state's general fund. The authority describes itself as the leading contributor to the fund, which supports education, health and transportation initiatives. Its roughly 400 stores have levied about $3 billion for the general fund in the past five years, the authority reports. The Washington Post
By Marissa J. Lang and Dana Munro Virginia animal protection officials say the furry bandit is suspected in break-ins at a nearby martial arts studio and Department of Motor Vehicles office. So, it seems the raccoon might have a problem. Not just the drinking — though its recent bender through a Virginia state-run liquor store did capture international headlines and the imagination of sketch comedy writers at Saturday Night Live. It may also have a bit of a break-in habit. The raccoon, who has remained unnamed because it is, well, a wild animal, is suspected of sneaking into multiple businesses in the same Ashland shopping center before its Nov. 29 spree that landed it in the liquor store bathroom, passed out and wasted, according to county officials. In a recent episode of local podcast “Hear in Hanover,” Animal Protection Officer Samantha Martin told county spokeswoman Kristin Smith Dunlop that the now-famous mammal is probably the same raccoon that had previously sneaked into a martial arts studio and a Department of Motor Vehicles office in the same building as the liquor store. The striped-tail creature, which has been affectionately dubbed Hanover County’s “trashed panda,” left a trail of evidence, Martin said, including broken liquor bottles and ransacked snacks. “Each time we get him out, we don’t relocate him because that’s a death sentence for raccoons,” Martin said. “But somehow he knows how to get back into that building. He’s a smart little critter.” Neither the DMV nor the martial arts studio responded to requests for comment. The raccoon may have previously been on animal control’s radar, but it wasn’t until the masked mammal went on an after-hours spree in the liquor store last month that the rest of the world came to know its story. Sometime between when the store closed on a Friday evening and reopened Saturday morning, authorities said, the raccoon wiggled in through the ceiling of the Ashland store, triggering a motion sensor. The animal then began digging through the merchandise in storage and destroying 14 bottles of liquor: rum, scotch, whiskey, vodka, moonshine and even spiked eggnog. Security video taken around 3:30 a.m. Saturday shows the raccoon scampering throughout the closed store and “generally having a ball,” said Virginia ABC spokeswoman Carol Mawyer. When the store manager returned to open up shop in the morning, the storeroom aisles were slick with drink and the creature was splayed out in the employee bathroom next to the toilet. “He locked himself in the bathroom, so he knew what he was doing,” Martin said on the podcast Thursday. “People can see the human side of it. I mean, everybody’s been there, everybody’s had a few extra and passed out by the toilet and hoped someone can come and help you the next morning.” After a social media post from the animal welfare agency exploded, the raccoon became part international celebrity, part mascot for the county’s Animal Protection department, which has capitalized on the attention to fundraise: Merch bearing the raccoon’s likeness — passed out, face down with a drained liquor bottle knocked over beside it — has helped raise more than $200,000 for Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter as of Saturday, said Jeffrey Parker, the department’s chief. It’s the most money the department has seen from outside donations in at least two decades, said Parker, who has been at the agency for 19 years. “It’s been phenomenal,” he said. “We can’t be thankful enough for what has happened.” The agency has not decided what to do with its groundswell of new funds, though Martin said in the podcast interview that Animal Protection needs more resources to keep up with a ballooning county population and increased calls for animal welfare support. The department is considering improvements to its water pressure system, increasing vet services or renovating its animal wash room, Parker said. Other local organizations have also tried to get in on the raccoon action by launching themed events, slogans and ad campaigns. The Downtown Ashland Association is hosting an ongoing raccoon-based scavenger hunt to lure visitors into local businesses. Meanwhile, Virginia Distillery Company posted a message on social media seemingly aimed at the animal: “Virginia Distillery Company: Irresistibly smooth. Even if you eat mostly trash, please drink responsibly.” Martin, on the other hand, has used her time on the airwaves to caution humans about the dangers of handling wildlife — inebriated or not. She noted during her podcast appearance that any raccoon that bites and breaks the skin of a human must be considered a potential rabies exposure and would then be euthanized and tested for the disease Parker, the chief of animal protection, said he hopes the raccoon is off somewhere “doing raccoon things” and, most importantly, “staying out of trouble.” But only time will tell if the now-infamous critter can resist the temptation to return to its favorite shopping center and slip into yet another business for a midnight snack or a nightcap.Ask The Post AIDive deeper He’s not that far away, after all. Martin said after the raccoon slept off his alcohol-soaked spree in a dog-kennel-turned-drunk-tank at the county’s animal shelter, officers released it back into the woods about a mile from the liquor store. But raccoons are roamers and can travel up to eight miles a day in search of a mate — or, maybe, something else. Greta Cross and Melina Khan, USA TODAY
A drunken raccoon has inspired merchandise that is helping raise money for a Virginia animal shelter. The Hanover County Animal Protection & Shelter in Hanover, Virginia had raised more than $156,000 on Dec. 8 for merchandise that displays a dazed raccoon "splooted" beside a spilled bottle of alcohol. The merchandise has been dubbed "Trashed Panda." The "Trashed Panda" shirts, hoodies and travel mugs honor a raccoon that went viral for breaking into a Virginia liquor store, drinking what he could get his paws on and then passing out in the bathroom during Thanksgiving weekend. "We are absolutely blown away," Hanover County Animal Protection & Shelter said in a Facebook post on Dec. 5. "Your support doesn’t just give us a great laugh, it directly helps fund training, equipment and shelter needs for our animals and the officers who protect them. We couldn’t do this without you." How to buy drunk raccoon or 'Trashed Panda' merchandiseThe "Trashed Panda" merchandise is available for purchase on Bonfire, a fundraising website, through the end of Dec. 8. Classic t-shirts cost $25, hoodies are $42, stickers are $5 and travel tumblers are $36. Orders are expected to be delivered before Dec. 31, according to Bonfire. The Hanover County Animal Protection & Shelter in Hanover, Virginia is selling Trashed Panda merchandise as part of a fundraising campaign. The merch is inspired by a raccoon who broke into a Virginia liquor store and passed out in the bathroom intoxicated on Nov. 29, 2025. Drunk raccoon also led to new cocktailsThe raccoon has also inspired three cocktails, crafted by Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC), the government agency that operates the store the animal broke into. The cocktails include a Rye Rascal Sour, Midnight Masked Gin Fizz and Trash Panda Old Fashioned. Recipes for the drinks are available on the Virginia ABC website. What happened to the drunk raccoon?The creature broke into the Virginia ABC store in Ashland, Virginia on Nov. 29. Upon entering the store, the raccoon fell through one of the ceiling tiles and "went on a full-blown rampage, drinking everything," animal protection officer Samantha Martin told the Associated Press. Photos of the scene show a variety of bottles, including some shattered, strewn across a store aisle. Another photo shows the suspect in question lying on the floor of the store's bathroom, apparently unconscious. The raccoon was safely captured and returned to the wild, the Hanover County Animal Protection and Shelter said in a statement. The Daily News Leader
Bill Atkinson, [email protected] Beginning Nov. 12, you no longer have to fumble with your wallet to pull out identification to board a plane, to buy booze or even if you get pulled over by a Virginia state trooper. The state Department of Motor Vehicles has launched Virginia Mobile ID, a free app that securely stores all of your personal information just like a physical driver's license does. The app produces a QR code that can be scanned at airports, DMV offices, Alcoholic Beverage Control stores, and by state troopers or local law enforcement. It's still in its early stages in acceptance, however, as only certain airports, ABC stores and local police departments have signed on to accept it. "DMV is actively working to expand Virginia Mobile ID acceptance across the commonwealth, including more retailers, restaurants and law enforcement agencies," the department said in a statement announcing the program. And it will not mean that you can leave your driver's license at home because Virginia law still dictates it be with you at all times while driving. It also has not reached the stage where you will be able to put your driver's license in your Apple or Android wallets, but DMV said that will happen "In the coming months." How does the Virginia Mobile ID work? While other states have created similar programs DMV Commissioner Gerald Lackey told The Progress-Index that about 19 others have launched one Virginia will be the first state where Mobile ID will be accepted at DMV CSCs, by law enforcement, and at nine pilot Virginia ABC stores. Virginia DMV is a founding member of the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators' Digital Trust Service, a nationwide security protocol and intrastate database that acts as a central clearinghouse for storage and distribution of personal information. Started in 2024, the DTS also serves Maryland and Utah. Each user will be given QR codes that can be scanned by participating agencies and businesses. Data is grouped into four sections Travel, Age, Standard ID and Driver's License depending upon how the ID will be used. For example, if you are at a TSA checkpoint, you would tap the Travel option for scanning. If you are purchasing alcohol at an ABC store or restaurant, you would use the Age option. The data is encrypted and transmitted directly between the phone and the reader device. Users can control how much data is shared and must authorize each scan. DMV neither stores nor tracks user activity "Security is paramount," Lackey said. Who is accepting the Virginia Mobile IDs now? According to DMV, Mobile ID can be used at the following: TSA airport checkpoints: Richmond International, Norfolk International, Newport News-Williamsburg International, Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional, Reagan National and Dulles International, plus more than 250 airports across the nation. Police departments: Virginia State Police, the cities of Falls Church, Portsmouth, Staunton and Virginia Beach; the town of Wytheville; and the counties of Chesterfield, Hanover, New Kent and Washington. All DMV customer service centers. As of now, only nine ABC stores in the metro Richmond area are piloting the Mobile ID. "Upon successful completion of the pilot program, Virginia ABC may expand to additional stores," DMV said. Currently, the only restaurant accepting Mobile ID in Virginia is located in Norfolk. The Mobile ID app is available through the App Store or Google Play. It takes a few minutes to install, and installation involves scanning the back of your driver's license and taking a selfie. RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Tito’s Handmade Vodka is still the most popular spirit in Virginia for the seventh year in a row, according to Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (ABC).
For seven years in a row, Virginians have made it clear that Tito’s Handmade Vodka is the most popular spirit in the Commonwealth. Virginia ABC reported that Tito’s brought in $75 million in sales in the fiscal year of 2024, which was a $3 million increase from the last fiscal year. The vodka brand’s sales nearly doubled those of the second-most popular spirit, Hennessey VS, which sold more than $38 million. According to statistics from the Virginia ABC, these were the top ten liquors purchased in 2024:
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