Mark your calendars and stock the liquor cabinets before July 31, boys and girls. As of August 1, the price of every bottle of hard liquor in Washington state goes up, up, up. I wrote about the price increase in June (“They’ve Got Us by the Booze”). To raise money to cover a budget shortfall, the Liquor Control Board did an end run around having to put any tax or fee increase on a ballot and subject it to a vote. Instead, the agency will raise the margin on hard liquor by more than 10 percent. The more expensive the hooch you drink, the more you’ll feel the increase. So if you like the good stuff, buy it now. (You’re already paying too much for it, anyway.)

I’ve heard of many bars and restaurants stocking up on product as much as possible to avoid the extra cost crunch. Once again, though, I couldn’t get anyone to go on record, such is the fear of the LCB. It’s a bitch when the people who sell you a controlled substance also involve themselves in the greater distribution of said substance, and also enforce how a business uses it. And by “bitch” I mean complete conflict of interest. Nobody stands up to or complains about the LCB because that restaurateur or business could be targeted by the LCB’s enforcement arm. (Seriously — beverage suppliers, bar owners, and alcohol distributors are fucking terrified of retaliation.) Surely, this would never happen, you say? Yeah, right. I’m not accusing the LCB of anything, just hypothesizing. I’m sure there are checks and balances in place, blah, blah, blah…

I would ask this: Remember the Blue Moon. Not exactly a case of pure LCB strong-arming, but it paints a picture of what could easily happen to a business that’s in the business of alcohol if the state or the city decide they don’t like it.