Much of President Trump’s appeal with the populous is based on his America first vision. He invokes this vision when discussing tariffs on foreign products and exercising a non-interventionist foreign policy.
Unfortunately, when it comes to the liquor industry and opening up markets and enhancing competition, the President has abandoned an America first policy.
Last week the […]
Political wars really do bring out the worst in people, especially in the political class. As the U.S./Canada trade wars go unresolved the number of victims grows, most notably the U.S. Wine and Spirts community is taking a major hit, not so much because of the Canadian consumer but because of the Canadian political class.
Many […]
Laws will take effect in Nevada and California that mandate EFT payments between retailers and wholesalers. Stepping into the electronic age and encouraging the use of technology is a good thing, mandating it is a different story.
In Nevada in May of 2025 and in California in January of 2026, retailers are either going to be […]
In the height of the 2008 Presidential campaign, Michelle Obama made a comment regarding Hillary Clinton that “if you can’t run your own house, you certainly can’t run the White House.”
What brought me back to 2008 was the news of another great debacle with Michigan’s liquor system.
A recent article in Crains Business Grand Rapids reports […]
Francis Creighton, the CEO of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA), wrote a piece celebrating the three-tier system called A Stronger Industry Through the Three-Tier System. Ironically, the fruits of the liquor industry he celebrates come in spite of the three-tier system and not because of it. As his blog post goes […]
Spirits wholesalers are being taken to the woodshed by the beer wholesalers. The recent news that RNDC lost key accounts in California was shocking and influenced RNDC’s decision to leave the largest consumer market in the country. Significantly, Reyes Beverage Group (Reyes), the largest beer wholesaler benefited by landing many of these key accounts formerly […]
Will the Real Oregon please stand up
News broke Friday that the Oregon Ethics Commission voted 7-1 to increase former director of the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission Steve Marks fine from $500 to $1,500. All this stems from the allocation of Pappy Van Winkle bottles for himself and other privileged individuals.
By […]
Happy Birthday Granholm
May 16th is the 20th anniversary of Granholm, twenty years later I look at how Granholm has impacted the marketplace.
Granholm’s legacy
The Supreme Court victory in Granholm was one of the greatest things to happen to the wine industry. The growth in wineries has been massive […]
The Legislative rollbacks
Victory in Granholm led to a massive growth in interstate winery shipping. Before Granholm DTC wine shipping was available in 27 states, when winery shipping becomes legal in Mississippi that number will stand at 48 states.[1]
Granholm became the dominant force in the expansion of winery direct shipping […]
Introduction
Granholm v. Heald, the U.S. Supreme Court case which struck down state laws which allowed in-state wineries to ship to in-state residents but denied this same privilege to out-of-state wineries, is 20 years old on May 16th. Granholm resulted in the legalization of interstate winery shipping.
I will be writing a series […]