StarNews ‘Spirit Week’: New Hanover Co. raises a glass to whiskey

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — It’s well into your Friday night, and maybe you’re well into the bottle. But what’s in that bottle? Vodka, whiskey, tequila?

Our partners at the StarNews poured over the numbers to find out. It’s a ‘neat’ study!

“We got our hands on a 420-page document detailing every case of alcohol sold in the state of North Carolina in 2014,” StarNews reporter Paul Stephen said. “We’ve been slowly picking and pulling all the interesting details out of that package of data.”

That data shows that vodka is “top shelf” nearly everywhere, but each county has a “chaser.”

“What we’ve come to discover is New Hanover County certainly has its own distinctive tastes,” Stephen said.

The Port City loves to toss back whiskey. Its favorite is Fireball, according to the numbers.

“We consume Irish whiskey at almost twice the state rate,” Stephen said.

For more on the numbers, check out the “StarNews” starting Sunday. That’s when StarNews “Spirit Week” begins.