Alcohol Law Advisor

Regulatory and Distribution Law Updates for the Alcohol Industry

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By: McDermott Will & Emery

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Arthur J. DeCelle
Ashley L. McMahon
Barrett. K. Lopez
Bethany Hatef
Benjamin O. Kostrzewa
Christopher M. Lahiff
McDermott Will & Emery
David Ransom
Dwight Mersereau
Eleanor B. Atkins
Emily Townsend
Emily Rickard
McDermott Will & Emery
Jennifer Aronoff
Jessica Bayles
W. Kam Quarles
Katherine F. Froelicher
Kevin Spencer
Lynette Ryan Arce
Lauren A. Ferrante
Mélanie Bruneau
McDermott Will & Emery
T. Marshall Fawley III
McDermott Will & Emery
Mary Hallerman
Mary Kay McCalla Martire
Marc Sorini
Robin L. Greenhouse
Robert W. Zelnick
Stuart Mathews
Steffen Woitz
Vanessa K. Burrows
Veronica Pinotti
William M. Friedman

Latest from Alcohol Law Advisor

In late September 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a petition for a writ of certiorari (i.e. the Court agreed to hear a case) brought before the Court by the Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association (Tennessee Retailers) in Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association v. Byrd. The petition requested that the Court review the lower court’s decision upholding a finding that Tennessee’s two-year residency requirement for retail license applicants is unconstitutional. Specifically, the question…
As you likely have read in the trade press already, on Wednesday, November 28, 2018, the US Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit issued its opinion in Lebamoff v. Rauner. The opinion adds three judges of the Seventh Circuit to the collection of legal minds rejecting the notion that the dormant Commerce Clause non-discrimination principles applied by the Supreme Court in Bacchus (1984) and Granholm (2005) should be limited to laws discriminating against…
Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) proposed a new regulation that would require food manufacturers to disclose information about bioengineered (BE) food and BE food ingredients. The proposed rule is the result of a 2016 law that required the USDA to establish a National Bioengineered Food Disclosure Standard for all food. For purposes of the BE disclosure law, “food” includes alcohol beverages intended for human consumption as well as non-alcohol beverages. Read …
Earlier this week, US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued further guidance on the procedures for importers to take the lower tax rates and credits available under the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA). Key points of the new guidance: CBP will process drawback claims on an oldest-entry-first basis. Failure to substantiate drawback claims by January 31, 2019, risks a loss of the CBMA rates/credits for the entries in question. Going forward, every entry seeking to…
On September 18, 2018, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) issued TTB Industry Guidance 2018-10, a webpage consisting of questions and answers related to formulas. According to TTB, this new guidance “essentially replaces” Industry Circular 2007-4, which provided the framework for pre-COLA product evaluations. TTB has removed Industry Circular 2007-4 from its website. The release of Industry Guidance 2018-10 comes with troubling implications. TTB has essentially revoked an Industry Circular signed…
During the International Wine Association’s 2018 Conference, Marc Sorini presented on the latest law developments, including the Commerce Clause and First Amendment. The topic was made particularly timely by the Supreme Court’s September 27 decision to grant certiorari review of the Byrd v. Tennessee Wine and Spirits Retailers Association decision. View the full presentation.…
Last week Customs & Border Protection (CBP) issued additional guidance on the Craft Beverage Modernization Act (CBMA) rules for applying the CBMA lower excise tax rates (for beer and distilled spirits) and credits (for wine) to alcohol beverages imported from other countries. The new guidance provides further clarity on the procedures required to make claims for drawback (refund) of taxes paid at the non-CBMA rate on product imported since the beginning of calendar 2018. It…
As beverage manufacturers mull the creation and distribution of cannabidiol (CBD)-infused products, the US Drug Enforcement Administration’s (DEA) recent actions regarding an approved CBD drug merit exploration. CBD is one of many chemicals in the cannabis plant, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has stated that CBD does not produce the same euphoric effect as tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), marijuana’s psychoactive component. In June, FDA approved the first drug comprised of an active ingredient (CBD)…
Craft distillers know the value of a good trademark. The name of a particular spirit, a logo, or a label design can be vitally important to a brand’s identity (and a distiller’s bottom line).  They also know how complicated—and legally fraught—branding can be. For better or worse, trademark disputes involving alcohol beverage products are becoming increasingly common. The disputes that make it to court provide valuable insight that could prevent future legal headaches surrounding the…