When one thinks of McLanahan’s Downtown Market in State College, ordering a breakfast sandwich on a Monday morning before class might come to mind. Or perhaps the aroma of various ales and lagers lingering throughout A’s Pub on a busy Saturday night are conjured up. You might have even grabbed a six-pack or two of your favorite craft specialty on the way out.
But when it came to purchasing beverages other than beer or wine with their lower alcohol content, one would normally have to venture outside of downtown to one of the state-owned Fine Wine and Spirits located in the greater State College area.
This summer however, McLanahan’s Downtown Market, 116 S. Allen St., has started selling full-sized bottles of vodka, agave spirits, gin and rum with up to 40% alcohol content. Through an exclusive partnership with Holla Spirits, a company founded by Penn State alumni Matt Glaser and Patrick Shorb, the store is now the only place in downtown State College to buy full-sized bottles of liquor.
In addition to bottles — which include an array of flavored vodkas like jalapeno, lollipop and blueberry — they also offer ready-to-drink 40% alcohol pouches.
Although the market had its own liquor license to sell higher content alcohol in its seated area before, it required a separate distillery license owned by Holla Spirits in order to sell the bottles and drink pouches, according to Shorb. Pennsylvania law permits distilleries to operate up to five additional satellite distilleries.
McLanahan’s is Holla’s first satellite retail bottle shop.
Holla first came onto the consumer scene in 2017 when Glaser and Shorb introduced their vodka to stores in their hometown of York. Now the 2008 Smeal College of Business graduates sell their different products throughout stores in the commonwealth as well as in Delaware and Maryland. They also ship to many other states.
Holla will be hosting a tasting at McLanahan’s Downtown Market from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 31, with more future events being planned.
