Liquor suppliers say early organizers for Year 2000 parties are snapping up the bubbly already. Distributors expect the strong economy and anticipation over the new millennium to increase the demand.

''People are not only buying more, but they are buying better,'' said Patty Haskins, spokeswoman for the Ohio Division of Liquor Control. Because customers are buying the more premium products, dollar sales are greater than the amounts sold, she said.

This December, the division expects to sell 1 million gallons of liquor before the holidays are over - nearly 23,000 gallons more than last year.

Demand has been so high for pricey champagnes that some brands - including Dom Perignon - are becoming increasingly difficult to find, said Mary Valle Dorr, wine buyer for the Party Source, which operates two stores in northern Kentucky.