The North Carolina House passed H.B. 768, the 2022 ABC Omnibus, by a vote of 100-9 Wednesday afternoon. The extensive bill is designed to decrease regulations on bar owners and expand the freedom of alcohol transportation and sales. North Carolina is one of 17 states where liquor sales are still controlled by the government. The...
A Republican state senator told a group in Asheville last week he’s open to privatizing liquor sales in North Carolina. The senator, Chuck Edwards, R-Henderson, spoke Friday, Feb. 1, to members of the Council of Independent Business Owners, in a meeting held at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, the Citizen-Times of Asheville reported. “Lots of...
Head distiller Chris Jude steps through a door at the High Wire Distilling Co. in Charleston, South Carolina. Jude, who’s from Boone, enters the tasting room and bar, making the short trip from the place spirits are made to the place spirits are served. Customers sitting at the long bar can distract themselves by peering...
Should Gov. Roy Cooper agree with the legislature and quickly sign Senate Bill 155, North Carolina distillers — and possibly restaurateurs — will see a significant boost in sales as visitors as early as this coming weekend. The N.C. Senate, in a marathon session Wednesday night that included some 80 bills, approved the so-called “brunch bill,”...
North Carolina distillers could begin seeing a significant boost in sales as visitors as early as this coming weekend. In a vote of 73-40, the N.C. House on Tuesday evening approved Senate Bill 155, clearing the way for N.C. craft distillers to sell five bottles to customers each year, instead of the current one, and...
Distillers in North Carolina aren’t quite ready to extend their arms in a celebratory toast, but they’ve certainly opened the bottle and dropped some ice in the glass. Senate Bill 155, omnibus legislation loosening rules on North Carolina distillers and brewers, is headed to the House Finance Committee. The House Alcoholic Beverage Control Committee on...
While some of North Carolina’s craft breweries are gearing up for a 2017 legislative fight related to the distribution of their beer, Raleigh’s Lucas Smith is developing a documentary to tell the story of how some of the state’s beers get from the brewery to the taproom. Smith is using the crowdfunding website Indiegogo.com as...
North Carolina is not the only state in which mom-and-pop alcohol producers are seeking a break from restrictions on their ability to market their products. Alabama wineries and distilleries may soon see state lawmakers ease regulations that now prevent smaller operations from competing against alcohol industry giants. One Alabama rule allows local wineries and distilleries to...
