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 few people heard of Patrick Briones or Jessica Goebel. In 2026 they may become two of the most influential people in the liquor industry. Patrick Briones, a wine buyer for Albertson’s was charged in late September with commercial bribery and conspiracy to defraud the United States.  It is alleged he received lavish gifts in exchange for favorable shelf space for wine wholesalers and suppliers.

On the other side of the equation rests Jessica Goebel, whom a federal complaint alleges used her third-party marketing company to funnel the bribes from major wine producers and wholesalers to retail clients. The federal complaint alleges that Matthew Adler and Bryan Barnes were directing Goebel’s actions towards retailers. Adler and Barnes were charged by federal prosecutors previously.

But the intrigue of this story rest not with the names I mentioned above, but with how systematic this behavior has become in the industry and how far up the totem pole does the illegal activity go?

It is difficult for me to believe that this investigation will conclude with just charges against these four individuals and no one else.

There are other big names out there that must have knowledge of day-to-day business dealings between major suppliers and wholesalers and their interactions with the largest retailer in the largest market in the United States.

The hands of justice move slowly, but I would expect by the end of 2026 the federal hammer will fall on larger fish than what is already been caught in the net.

But what remains to be seen is what reforms will come out of what gets uncovered in 2026.

Hemp Beverage Future

The 2018 Farm Bill loophole allowed hemp-derived intoxicating products to escape strict regulation and allowed them to operate essentially in an unregulated environment.

Escaping the common restraints imposed on the alcohol industry, intoxicating hemp derived beverages were able to ship across the country direct-to-consumer (DTC) without restrictions on quantity limits and state bans that alcohol producers and retailers often faced. Further, there were very few restrictions on where the drinks could be sold and how they got to market.

All of that changed this fall when Congress passed a bill making the beverage’s current privileges illegal in and around November 12, 2026.

Essentially, the bill allows Congress and the industry almost all of 2026 to decide how to come to a compromise on these issues.

2026 will determine the framework for selling hemp derived intoxicating beverages going forward.

WSWA desires to put its grubby hands into the pie and carve up the industry and run it the same way as the alcohol industry where the three-tier system is mandated.

States like Tennessee where the wholesalers use their leverage to run the regulatory agency, passed a law mandating the three-tier system for the intoxicating hemp beverage industry.

As Hemp is a competitor to alcohol, 2026 will go a long way in determining how the market will look for the newest kid on the intoxicating block.

Supplier lawsuits

Although Granholm should have settled this issue 20 years ago, there are still state laws that discriminate against out-of-state suppliers. Recently a federal district court held that a Maryland law which only allowed in-state breweries to ship to Maryland residents was unconstitutional.

New York still maintains discriminatory laws against out-of-state distillers and many states ban out-of-state suppliers from selling direct-to-retailer. These lawsuits should multiple in 2026

Conclusion

2026 will be an exciting year in the liquor space. Don’t sleep on what is coming out of the federal district court in California. A major scandal could brew in 2026 with many big companies and big names being involved.

Hemp was provided a yearlong lifeline and that year is 2026. By the end of the year the industry will become reshaped. We will visit at the end of 2026 to determine whether I was right, but hindsight is always 20-20