Navigating
INVENTORY MANAGEMENT
Modernizing the Beverage Alcohol Warehouse by KRYSTINA SKIBO
In the high-stakes world of beverage alcohol, your inventory is more than just liquid in bottles— it is your most significant capital investment and the lifeblood of your operation. Unlike general consumer goods, managing a beverage portfolio requires balancing a volatile trifecta: strict state and federal compliance, perishable product lifecycles and a massively fragmented SKU landscape that ranges from high-volume domestic lagers to ultra-rare vintage spirits.
As consumer tastes shift toward premiumization and low- and no-alcohol varieties, the traditional " stack it high and watch it fly " mentality is no longer enough to maintain healthy margins. Today’ s wholesalers are operating in a landscape where supply chain disruptions are the new normal and warehouse space is at a premium. Success now hinges on precision, having exactly what your accounts need, exactly when they need it, without tying up excessive cash flow in " dead stock " or losing revenue to out-of-stocks.
“ When wholesalers properly manage their inventory, it is treated like an official and financial account which must be correct in its records each day,” says David Weisselberger, expungement attorney and founding partner at Erase the Case.
Having worked inside courtrooms for many years as well as having a strong understanding of how legal duties shape operational systems, Weisselberger knows just how wholesalers can
6 Beverage Wholesaler • Spring 2026 www. beveragewholesaler. com