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As people celebrate the holiday season, many may toast friends and family with glasses of wine or a holiday-themed cocktail.
However, West Virginians may not be as likely as their out-of-state neighbors to raise glasses filled to the brim with either of these alcoholic beverages, according to a new study.
The Washington D.C.-based Beer Institute recently reported that the Mountain State is next to last on per capita distilled spirit consumption and dead last in wine consumption when ranked against other states. The Beer Institute ranked West Virginia near the middle at No. 17 for per capita beer consumption.
The Beer Institute was formed in 1986 to represent the industry before national and state governments, according to its web sites.
According to a 2010 epidemiological analysis for alcohol and drug abuse, other states may have been drinking West Virginia under the table for a few years. This study was prepared by the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health and Health Facilities and the West Virginia Prevention Center.
"Overall, West Virginians tend to use alcohol at rates much less than the rest of the nation as a whole," the study stated. "On the other hand, alcohol sales in the state have increased substantially in the past decade and it was reported that underage drinkers consumed 20.6 percent of all alcohol sold in the state in 2005."
Even accounting underage drinking, the epidemiological study indicated no statistical difference from the national average.
Not a State for Shots
Nationally, per capita consumption of distilled spirits has been steadily increasing with 2010 representing the highest ever.
West Virginians also have been drinking more distilled spirits over the years, but not enough apparently to move it up the list when compared to other states.
In fact, according to the Beer Institute's study, West Virginia consistently has ranked second-to-last from 2005 to 2010.
Shirley Morris, president of Kirkwood Winery and the accompanying Isaiah Morgan Distillery, said the reason could be the state's aging population.
"I think most people, by the time they're old enough to buy wine or liquor, they've left...