The Texas LP Directory Is Live — Find Every Local Distributor's Permit Holder in the State
WhiskeyRiverTX now publishes the only public list of Local Distributor's Permit holders in Texas — the accounts bars and restaurants can legally buy spirits from directly. Refreshed weekly from state data, 1,800+ records, 254 counties.
John W. Paddon
Founder, ThirstMetrics
The LP permit is the legal instrument that lets a bar or restaurant buy spirits directly — without going through a traditional distributor. Most operators don't know who holds them in their county.
If you sell spirits in Texas — or buy them — there's a class of license that affects almost every direct-account sale you make: the Local Distributor's Permit (LP). As of this week, WhiskeyRiverTX publishes the only public, searchable directory of LP holders in the state.
What the LP Permit Actually Is
Under Texas law, a retailer with a Local Distributor's Permit can purchase distilled spirits directly from another retailer who also holds an LP — bypassing the traditional three-tier distributor layer for those transactions. That's the legal hook bars and restaurants use when they buy from a neighboring licensee's overage or negotiate direct transfers.
Most sales reps and operators don't know who in their county holds this permit. Before today, there was no consolidated public list — you'd have to file a public records request or dig through TABC's system one address at a time.
What's in the Directory
The directory launched in July 2026 with the following scope:
1,800+ LP permit records across the state. 254 counties covered, with 198 of those counties showing at least one active LP holder. Records include business name, city, county, and permit status. Data refreshes weekly from data.texas.gov feeds, which pull from the Texas Comptroller's Mixed Beverage Receipts and related permit datasets.
The goal was to make this layer of the market visible. If 56 counties have zero LP holders, that's useful information for a distributor territory manager. If Harris County has 300+, that shapes how you think about direct-account penetration in Houston.
How WhiskeyRiverTX Built This
WhiskeyRiverTX is a ThirstMetrics product that ingests Texas Comptroller data weekly. The LP directory is a natural extension of that pipeline — the same data.texas.gov feeds that power the sales receipt analysis also carry permit-level information.
The directory page at whiskeyrivertx.com/directory is public and free. No account required. You can filter by county, browse the full list, and see contact information where available. The permit data is refreshed every week on a scheduled pull from state sources.
Why This Matters for Operators and Reps
If you're a sales rep covering Texas, knowing which of your accounts hold LP permits changes how you approach those calls. An account that can transfer directly to neighboring retailers is a different kind of relationship than a pure retail account.
If you operate a bar or restaurant and hold an LP permit yourself, this directory shows you who else in your county holds one — potential counterparties for direct transfers when you need to manage your inventory.
The directory is live now. The weekly refresh runs automatically — no manual curation. If TABC data changes, the directory reflects it within seven days.
You can access the full directory at whiskeyrivertx.com/directory.