WSWA responded to assertions in Roger Morris’ article, “Does the three-tier system in the US still have legs?” that the three-tier system is archaic and prevents consumers choice. Mainly, assertions were made that WSWA’s efforts at preventing DTC shipping were hurting consumer choice and were not preventing the evils of underage access to […]
Wine faces a threat it may not see coming around the corner. The unholy alliance of the trial lawyer bar and overzealous government bureaucrats threatens serious damage to the industry’s future. The good news is a lot of this can be defeated if the wine interest wakes up and decides it’s time to fight.
Two existential […]
Wisconsin’s new legislation, SB 332, includes legal principles that are so out of the ordinary that when these principles were introduced into law in Illinois, they couldn’t get past step 1 in the legislative process and died a quick death.
The legal faux pas in the legislation derive from the Uniform Law Commission’s work on the […]
Not a surprise but there is corruption in the liquor field. We have seen it at government agencies in Oregon and Virginia and the Treasury Report on Competition recognized that despite active enforcement that there are exclusionary behaviors that include “discriminatory conduct by distributors.”[1]
The corruption in Virginia and Oregon pertained to how rare […]
WSWA’s solution that just doesn’t square
In its 2023 Membership Handbook, WSWA advocates against direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping. It labels DTC shipping the biggest threat to the industry.
With WSWA worried that DTC shipping is such a big threat, it proudly lists its efforts crusading against DTC Shipping. One item on its list of Anti-DTC Advocacy […]
California is notorious for implementing business regulations that make no sense. These regulations are costly for market participants and raise the cost to do business there. This once great state is seeing something I thought unimaginable in my lifetime, more native-born people leaving than entering the state.
I guess unaware of this trend, my father’s country […]
Irish Liquor Lawyer mourns the passing of Chicago Hospitality Legend and great friend Eamonn Vaughan.
Eamonn Vaughan, in a life cut way too short, lived the American Dream to its fullest. He came to America from Ireland as a teenager. Together with his partner and brother Kevin, they built a chain of well respected bars and […]
The FTC, which set its sights on Southern Wine and Spirits is now requesting information from Total Wine and More (Total). Total according to Law360.com, objected to a civil investigative demand from the FTC on numerous grounds. The FTC is requesting voluminous amounts of data on Total’s dealings with distributors. There has been no indication […]
Blue Cloud by its simple presence is sending tremors through the liquor establishment. Nothing demonstrates this more than the rush of legislation to attack them directly.
In Illinois, my state of expertise, two bills seem inspired by this new Blue Cloud phenomenon.
SB2433 deals mainly with non-alcohol merchandise being involved in the sale of alcohol. The […]
I am happy to make my 75th Media Appearance in Wine Searcher discussing tied-house issues.
As someone that drafted Illinois’ tied-house regulations, I welcome the opportunity to provide insight on a complex legal issue that unknowingly trips up liquor industry members.