California Bill Would Allow Spirit-based RTD’s to be Sold Alongside Beer and Wine
A bill in California supported by the Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUSS) would allow retailers with a beer and wine license to also sell spirit-based RTD’s, a move which would further blur the line that has traditionally existed between spirits and beer and wine.
“The ready-to-drink market is booming, and with new innovation comes new opportunities to look at and update our laws,” said Adam Smith, vice president of government relations at DISCUS.
The bill would allow off-premise retailers with a beer and wine license to sell spirit-based RTD cocktails up to 10% abv. This would double the number of retail accounts that would be able to sell the spirit-based RTD’s from 14,000 to 28,000.
Currently in California as well as most states, regulations for beer and wine differ from that of spirits.
See the DISCUSS press release here and a copy of the proposed legislation here.
