“We’re seeing a trend where consumers are trading up, and they have been for a few years; they’re buying more of the premium price products and they’re looking for unique tastes. With the release of a lot of different flavored items and unique spirit products, people are trading up to find something different and drinking for taste rather than drinking for quantity.

Mullins also sees signs of economic recovery in the sales numbers.

“Wholesale sales, … the sales to bars and restaurants, are up significantly over the last two years after we saw three years of that sales number declining. So that indicates that Ohio’s economy is growing and getting stronger.

The division reports that the top selling brand of liquor last year in Ohio was Kamchatka Vodka. It ranked just a bit ahead of the second place finisher -- Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey.

Here are the top-selling brands of liquor in Ohio for 2012 (by gallons sold):

• Kamchatka Vodka – 364,914 gallons
• Jack Daniels Tennessee Whiskey – 355,068 gallons
• Bacardi Superior Light Rum – 287,378 gallons
• Absolut Vodka – 281,898 gallons
• Crown Royal Canadian Whiskey – 281,295 gallons
• Captain Morgan Spiced Rum – 279,512 gallons
• Smirnoff  Vodka  – 271,204 gallons
• Jagermeister – 256,526 gallons
• Black Velvet Canadian Whiskey – 231,888 gallons
• Korski Vodka – 229,404 gallons 

Spirituous liquor is intoxicating liquor containing more than 21% alcohol by volume.