Experienced And Knowledgeable With Both The Alcohol beverage Industry And The Law
Florida is the latest state to pass a medical marijuana bill to allow limited access to marijuana for treatment of chronic epileptic seizures, cancer and select other severe illnesses. Senate Bill 1030, (http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2014/1030) passed in the House by a vote of 111-7, and a vote of 30-9 in the Senate. Governor Rick Scott said he will sign the bill into…
The Florida Senate approved SB 1714 (http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2014/1714/BillText/e2/PDF). The bill allows Florida brewers to sell 64-ounce beer growlers to customers for consumption off the premises. However, the bill also prevents those brewing more than 1,000 barrels (2,000 kegs) from selling more than 20% of their beer directly to consumers instead of through a distributor. The bill sets limits on the sale…
The labels recently issued by TTB for Palcohol, a powdered alcohol product, were issued in error. According to the Associated Press, a TTB representative sent an email to the AP late Monday indicating that the approvals were issued in error. Palcohol noted that there was a “discrepancy on our fill level, how much powder is in the bag,” and it…
Alaskan lawmakers are discussing a bill that would allow craft distillers to sell directly to consumers. House Bill 309 is aimed at improving tourism to Alaska’s distilleries. The new bill would allow distilleries to sell as much as a gallon of alcohol from the distillery and offer samples of as much as 3 ounces to visitors. To read the full…
On March 25, 2014, the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) accepted a conditional no contest offer from Empire Merchants LLC., a New York wholesaler, for selling products at deep discounts to select retailers. The SLA stated, “the Alcoholic Beverage Control law requires that wholesalers of wine and spirits post their prices monthly with the SLA in order to ensure…
The brewers association recently released its list of the Top 50 US craft breweries. The top spot goes to Boston Beer Co. Rounding out the top five are Sierra Nevada, New Belgium Brewing, Gambrinus, and Lagunitas. To see the complete list follow this link: http://www.brewersassociation.org/attachments/0001/4525/CBP13_Top_50.pdf
Celebrity chef Mario Batali will temporarily close the wine store at his Italian market, Eataly, for six months and pay a $500,000 fine to the New York State Liquor Authority (“SLA”) as part of a settlement with the SLA. Some of Batali’s business partners in this and other SLA licensed locations also own an interest in an Italian winery. It…
I. The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (“TTB”) announced it will publish a final rule in the Federal Register amending the regulations in 27 CFR part 73 to allow industry members to submit certain forms electronically rather than submitting originals. Original forms and other records must still be retained by the industry member. This amendment now allows applying…
The TTB ‘s Alcohol Beverage Sampling Program is TTB’s survey of products in the marketplace. In short, the TTB purchases product from retailers and tests them to be sure the products inside the bottles match the claims displayed on the labels. The results of the sampling program over the past few years, according to TTB, “show that proofing and gauging…
Nevada’s Attorney General, Catherine Mastro, sent out an open letter to alcohol beverage retailers, wholesalers and suppliers. The TTB settlement of just two years ago should still be fresh in the industry’s mind, but this open letter eliminates the grey area and lists 14 requirements that all the tiers must follow: – No Loans from Wholesaler to Retailer – No…
