www.ablusa.org | www.facebook.com/ablusa | www.twitter.com/ablusa
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
WE'LL BE BACK JANUARY 9!
ABL Weekly will take a break from publication for
the holidays. You'll see a brand new newsletter in
your inbox January 9.
Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter,
sharing our updates with friends, colleagues, and
family, and furthering ABL in our mission to
support alcohol beverage retailers.
We wish all of you a wonderful Holiday season and
a very Happy New Year!
CALENDAR
December 25 - Christmas Day
January 1 - New Year's Day
January 11-13 - Beer Business Daily Beer Summit | Palm Beach, FL
January 14 - Maryland State Licensed Beverage Association Legislative Reception | Annapolis, MD
February 18-20 - Leadership Summit on Reducing Crime, Disorder and Violence in Nightlife Districts | Los Angeles, CA
ABL & PUBLIC POLICY News
New "SaferRide" Mobile App and New Data Highlight Start of Annual Holiday Drunk Driving
Crackdown
U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
kicked off the annual "Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over" holiday crackdown on drunk driving by
unveiling a new mobile app to help people who have been drinking get a safe ride home.
The European Union Helps Consumers by Capping Swipe Fees While the U.S. Lags
American merchants applaud the European Union for taking steps to cap card fees at a seventh
of what U.S. retailers pay their banks.
Major Changes to U.S.-Cuba Relations
Today, the United States government announced sweeping changes to its longstanding embargo
against Cuba. Soon there will be a U.S. embassy in Havana; Americans visiting the island will be
able to return to the U.S. with some Cuban products, including Cohibas and other Cuban cigars.
Alcohol calorie counts to be on menus by next year
New menu labeling rules from the Food and Drug Administration will require chain restaurants
with 20 or more outlets to list the amount of calories in alcoholic drinks, along with other foods,
on menus by next November.
Powdered alcohol worries U.S. lawmakers
Powdered alcohol hasn't even arrived in stores yet, but states already are moving to ban the
product touted by its inventor as an easy way to mix a drink on the go.
National survey shows decrease in alcohol, cigarette and illicit drug use among U.S. teens
A national survey of students in U.S. middle schools and high schools shows some important
improvements in levels of substance use.
To Stop Teen Drinking Parties, Fine The Parents
Now some communities across the United States are trying to hold these parents accountable
and fine them for allowing underage drinking in their homes.
Marijuana
 Colorado's Marijuana Law Challenged by Nebraska, Oklahoma
 The Top 10 Marijuana Victories in 2014
 Pro-Cannabis Groups Offering Different Paths To Legalization In Maine
 Group aims for 2015 ballot issue to legalize marijuana
 Marijuana dispensaries won't be allowed within 1,000 feet of and on the same street
as school or religious places
 Why Congress Gave In to Medical Marijuana
 Campaign to legalize marijuana use in Ohio quietly underway and borrows page from
casino campaign
AFFILIATE News
Tavern League of Wisconsin
Death and injuries from alcohol-related crashes down in Wisconsin
INDUSTRY News
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
TTB NEWSLETTER | Weekly News (Dec 19)
TTB NEWSLETTER | Weekly News (Dec 12)
Law360
How To Avoid A Legal Hangover After Your Holiday Party
STATE News
California: Coaster alcohol ban approved
Transit leaders on Thursday imposed a ban on drinking alcohol on San Diego County's Coaster
passenger line, a move that some said was long overdue and others criticized as short-sighted.
Colorado: Powdered alcohol? Not so fast, lawmakers say
Powdered alcohol hasn't even arrived in stores yet, but states already are moving to ban the
product touted by its inventor as an easy way to mix a drink on the go.
Connecticut: Liquor store density sparks debate:
"If you start reducing the closeness of stores, of liquor stores to one another, somebody is going
out of business, because at the end of the day, somebody is going to say, `He's $12.99, he's
$11.99. I'll walk this way.' It is that close."
Idaho: distributors threaten 10 Barrel's brewpub license for Boise
Beer outlets say new owner Anheuser-Busch is too big to operate as a small brewery under state
law
Indiana: End days for Sunday sales prohibition
Explaining to out-of-town guests about the chains over the beer and wine aisle at the grocery
store is fairly easy: Indiana hasn't figured out that the rest of the states allow retail package sales
on any given Sunday.
Indiana: Sun King Brewing cuts off distribution due to state beer limit
Sun King Brewing announced Friday they will cut ties with distributors outside Central Indiana.
Kentucky: Wet/dry vote today in Louisa
Voters in the city of Louisa will cast votes Tuesday to decide if the Lawrence County seat will
remain "dry" or go "wet" and allow the sale of alcoholic beverages within the city.
Maryland: Liquor board seeks law to allow beer sales in growlers
A local bill may be introduced during the 2015 session that would allow liquor stores to sell beer
through large refillable containers and also ensure that restaurants with a Class P alcoholic
beverage license sell more food than alcohol.
Maryland: County Forced To Raise Booze Prices To Stay Profitable
Wine and alcohol prices are expected to increase at county-owned stores this week as Worcester
County struggles to keep its Department of Liquor Control out of the red.
Massachusetts: FedEx will begin shipping wine to Massachusetts on February 1st
FedEx announced today that, effective Feb. 1, 2015, FedEx Express and FedEx Ground will open
the state of Massachusetts for legal shipments of alcoholic beverages.
Michigan: Craft distilleries wage uphill battle in Michigan
Belly up to most Michigan bars and ask what craft beers are stocked, and you're likely to either
be handed a list or given a handful of options.
Michigan: Bills OK'd to set boating alcohol limit at 0.08
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is expected to sign bills subjecting boaters and snowmobilers to the
same blood-alcohol limit as drivers.
Minnesota: Waseca bar owner cries foul over different closing times
Some nights, typically late in the evening, Troy Tuma sees groups of patrons get up from their
stools at his American TapHouse & Grille in Waseca and drive away to surrounding towns.
Montana: Battle Brewing Over Alcohol Regulations
Alcohol distributors split from new industry coalition, shaking up potential efforts to reform
licensing system
Nebraska: Selling Alcohol to Minors: Several Metro Retailers Failed the Test
Staggering statistics when it comes to area bars, restaurants and liquor stores. A number of them
are selling to minors.
New Hampshire: Liquor Commission announces increased patrols for holidays
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission said it will be stepping up enforcement efforts during
the holidays, cracking down on drunken drivers and bars and restaurants that may over-serve
customers.
New Mexico: Lawmaker pushes repeal of Christmas alcohol ban
If you want a little extra Christmas cheer at the last second, you'd better have planned ahead. In
New Mexico and at least nine other states, you're not allowed to buy alcohol on Christmas.
New Mexico: Bill would ban interlock licensees from buying booze
A state lawmaker's proposal aims to keep those caught driving drunk from buying alcohol at
all. Rep. Brian Egolf, D-Santa Fe, introduced HB 30 this week, a bill that would treat some drunk
drivers like 20-year-olds when it comes to purchasing booze.
New York: New law allows craft distilleries to fill larger glasses
Samples of mixed drinks, such as cherry-flavored moonshine stirred with Coca-Cola, soon will be
available for customers to buy at Clayton Distillery, thanks to the Craft New York Act that took
effect Saturday.
New York: Wine and beer industry representatives: NY fracking ban is the right decision
Representatives from New York's wine and beer industry -- which are both dependent on fresh,
local water -- expressed support and relief after today's announcement that the Cuomo
administration intends to ban fracking in New York state.
New York: A planned merger of two of the city's largest beer distributors could threaten
thousands of minority-owned bodegas
A merger of Manhattan Beer Distributors and Phoenix Beehive Beverage Distributors would
create one massive company capable of imposing a chokehold on the city's beer market.
Bodegas sell 60% to 70% of all the beer in New York.
Pennsylvania: Liquor privatization debate poised to resurface in PA House
When the calendar flipped from November to December, Pennsylvania lawmakers who made a
Sisyphus-like effort to push a liquor privatization plan out of the state House saw their legislative
boulder tumble back to the bottom of the hill.
Pennsylvania: Beer me: PLCB to allow restaurants and grocery stores to deliver ale
A recent decision by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board will now allow alcohol-serving
establishments to also deliver beer for the first time in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania: Distillery proposed in midtown Harrisburg with focus on whiskey, gin and more
Kennedy Spirits is awaiting approval from the Harrisburg Zoning Hearing Board on a variance
before business partners, Alan Kennedy-Shaffer and Stanley Gruen, can move forward with plans
to purchase the historic "Carpets and Draperies" building along North Third Street.
West Virginia: Committee on Economic Development presents bill aimed to improve the craft
beer industry
The state legislature is looking to encourage the brewing craft beer industry in the Mountain
State.
Wisconsin: First To Test Repeat DWI Offenders With Alcohol Biomarkers
Wisconsin has a drunken driving problem: More than one-third of the people convicted of
operating while intoxicated, have been convicted before, according to data analyzed by Gannett
Wisconsin Media for its Under the Influence project with the Wisconsin Center for Investigative
Journalism.
Wisconsin: Law Of The Month Drunk And Drugged Driving
Drugged driving is a growing problem nationwide, according to the federal Office of National
Drug Control Policy. To help combat drugged driving, Wisconsin law prohibits drivers from
having any detectable amount of a controlled substance in their system while operating a motor
vehicle.
BUSINESS & LIFESTYLE News
Obama honored for brewing first White House beer
President Obama is getting a lifetime membership to the American Homebrewers Association, to
recognize him as the first President to turn 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. into a microbrewery by
crafting White House Honey Ale and Honey Porter.
5 Things to Know: Alcohol Calorie Labels on Menus
Five things to know about the Food and Drug Administration's new menu labeling rules, which
will require chain restaurants with 20 or more outlets to list the amount of calories in alcoholic
drinks, along with other foods and beverages, on menus by next November
Mobile app tells you when you're too drunk
By entering their gender, height, weight and the number of drinks consumed, the app will be
able to figure out their blood-alcohol level.
Retailers face organized 'ambush' in 2015
A fresh round of unionization efforts appear to be in store for major retailers next spring after
organized labor won a favorable ruling regarding how elections are conducted.
Making homemade liquor grows in popularity despite its illegality
Distilling liquor for personal consumption is still illegal in Colorado and the other 49 states, even
though it's only considered a petty offense.
Non-alcoholic beer sales on the rise
European consumers are getting a taste for non-alcoholic beer, with research from Mintel
showing increasing demand across the continent.
America's fastest-growing beer brands
American beer sales have followed a downward trend in recent years. Yet, the beer industry is by
no means dying. While some beer brands have faltered, others have found tremendous success.
How Women Shaped The Whiskey Industry
Research from Beam Suntory shows 37% of US whiskey drinkers are women. The current
whiskey story is a good one. According to Nielsen, whiskey sales in all US outlets are almost $4
billion as of November 2014 (versus $3.5 billion in 2013).
Whiskey Will Soon Be the Bestselling Liquor in America
Distiller whiskey recommendation engine has determined that for the first time ever in America,
whiskey sales have outpaced vodka sales.
No Hangover in Sight
Naysayers have doubts about alcohol service in limited-service settings, but many fast casuals
are partying on.
Chip Tate: I'm not out of the distillery business
Chip Tate, the founder of Balcones Distillery in Texas who left the group earlier this month over a
dispute with investors, has revealed plans to build a new distillery in the state.