2025 is in its twilight and we now turn our gaze towards 2026. Although some major events occurred in 2025 such as legalizing California DTC shipping for craft distillers, 2026 is shaping up as a year where the alcohol industry could radically change.
The Hammer may fall in 2026
Previous to 2025 very […]
The ILCC put out a letter on the new licensing compliance portal set to launch in early 2026. The portal will thankfully replace the present system MyTax Illinois. The new system will act as the centralized location for all licensing and compliance activities.
To access the new system the user will need to create an ILogin […]
With alcohol sales plummeting and small producers looking forward to a dismal January, we need to change the narrative in the alcohol space. January has been taken over as Dry January, where people are motivated to abstain from alcohol for the whole month. With almost 1 in 2 of the youth switching to cannabis during […]
In the 1960 and early 70s Schlitz battled with Anheuser Busch for top of the beer market. It was said that Schlitz and not Miller was the beer that made Milwaukee famous. So, what happened to this top brand and why do we not hear about it anymore?
Numerous factors occurred which pushed Schlitz into obscurity. […]
When I was really young ages ago, I remember going to the store and buying candy cigarettes. We thought they were cool and imitated smoking them before finishing them off. I can’t remember what they taste like, but I remember having them and my friends and I pretending like we were smoking and being cool.
Candy […]
In a time long ago, the liquor industry set off alarm bells about Blue Cloud Distribution, Inc., a branch of Pepsi Co. obtaining liquor distribution licenses. The narrative pushed was that Pepsi Co. through the use of its chip’s portfolio would be offering back door slotting fee allowances. After much turbulence, Pepsi Co. pulled the […]
In 2020 we worked on getting cocktails-to-go passed in Illinois. With our movement of the first cocktails-to-go bill passed in America, we faced great opposition from the government. There were refrains that it was dangerous because people would now be able to open a ready-made cocktail while driving and Chicago would turn into New Orleans. […]
It is safe to say that a 25% decrease in any industry would sound off troubling warning signs. To me it’s a code red and all hands need to be on deck to find a solution.
A recent report from the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA), 2025 Craft Spirits Data Project, portrays an industry facing a […]
To say I was shocked to hear about the indictment against former Executive Director of the Nebraska Liquor Control Commission, Hobert Rupe, is an understatement. It is alleged that Mr. Rupe took bribes from a Lincoln, Nebraska strip club in the form of free cover charge, free drinks, and sexual acts. From the allegations, it […]
Another case has come forth of bribery occurring at a major supermarket chain with a large winery and a large wholesaler alleged to be involved. We can rinse and repeat as these stories repeat themselves time and time again.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the main buyer for Albertsons took bribes from a large supplier […]