Arkansas: Liquor Fight gets Expensive
The liquor industry in Arkansas is in a civil war of sorts over a proposed constitutional amendment on the Nov. 4 general election ballot that has seen almost $2 million poured into having Arkansans decide whether they want local option rights or liquor. ...
Austria Introduces New Sparkling Wine Quality Tiers
Austria has created a three-tier quality pyramid for its emergent sparkling wine sector to improve its reputation and help consumers to better understand the category. ...
Experts Debate Oak Use for Sauvignon Blanc
Complexity or a car crash? The use of oak when vinifying Sauvignon Blanc proved one of the most contentious areas of discussion in The Drinks Business Sauvignon Blanc Masters. Barrells-640x467Held earlier this month in London, the tasting saw almost 150...
Iowa: Liquor sales are big business for state
Several bottles of highly sought-after Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon - which can retail for hundreds or even thousands of dollars a bottle - sit in a locked cage at the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division (ABD) warehouse. At the other end of the facility, which sits...
Massachusetts: Package Stores aren’t Toasting Expanded Sunday Hours
Liquor stores in Massachusetts may open two hours earlier on Sundays beginning this weekend, but not all purveyors of spirits plan to take advantage of the expanded hours. At the Liquor Locker in Gloucester, the hours posted on the door have been changed...
Maryland: Comptroller Finds No Issues With Liquor Deal; Wholesaler Cleared In Investigation
The state Comptroller's Office Field Enforcement Division this week opined a major liquor wholesaler in Maryland did not engage in unfair trade practices and false advertising when Worcester's Department of Liquor Control (DLC) locked into a deep discount price on a...
Pennsylvania: Federal Grand Jury Reviewing Liquor Control Board Violations, Sources Tell Trib the System
A federal grand jury is investigating whether employees of the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board had improper relationships with wine and spirits vendors doing business with the agency, according to sources close to the investigation. Current and former LCB...
Virginia: ABC to Use Liquor Markup to Modernize the System
The impending markup of liquor sold in Virginia ABC stores will pay for far more than $2.5 million to help close a $2.4 billion revenue gap in the state budget. The total markup - and its effect on the price of distilled spirits in state stores - has not been...
Canada: Panel recommends Ontario keep public ownership of LCBO, OPG and Hydro One
The Liquor Control Board, Ontario Power Generation and Hydro One should all remain in public hands, but Hydro One should get out of the local distribution business, a special government advisory panel said Friday. The Liberal government set up the panel to look...