Last week, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld a $2.6 million fine against beer wholesaler Craft Brewers Guild (a Sheehan family-owned company) for violating anti-price discrimination statutes and commercial bribery regulations. In the same decision, the Court overturned a fine
Alcohol Law Advisor
Regulatory and Distribution Law Updates for the Alcohol Industry
The Alcohol Law Advisor, published by McDermott Will & Emery, focuses on legal and regulatory issues affecting the alcohol industry. It covers federal and state regulations on alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, including taxation, labeling, production, and distribution. The blog addresses compliance challenges related to direct-to-consumer shipments, import and export laws, and the impact of evolving legislation such as the Farm Bill on cannabis-derived products like CBD. It also discusses intellectual property concerns, trademark registration, and the intersection of alcohol law with public health measures, including hand sanitizer production. The content is aimed at industry stakeholders navigating complex regulatory frameworks and market developments.
Latest from Alcohol Law Advisor - Page 6
A History of Alcohol Law
By Marc Sorini
In this lunchtime talk at CiderCon 2019 (the annual conference of the US Association of Cider Makers), Marc Sorini discusses the historic development of the current legal structure regulating alcohol beverage businesses. Topics include the origins of “tied house” laws…
Second Circuit Rejects Total Wine Challenge of Connecticut Pricing Laws
Last week, in Connecticut Fine Wine and Spirits LLC v. Seagull, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed a lower court’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit from Total Wine & More challenging parts of Connecticut’s Liquor…
House Financial Services Committee to Consider Cannabis Banking Issues
116th Congress’ first cannabis-related hearing
Next week, Congress will hold a long-awaited hearing on the future of banking in the cannabis industry.
On Wednesday the 13th, the House Financial Services Committee Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions Subcommittee will convene a…
Legal and Policy Issues Surrounding Taprooms
Rapid growth in the number of small and independent breweries that rely on taproom sales has received a lot of attention—not all of it positive—across the beer industry. Until this unprecedented growth, taproom sales went largely unnoticed. Competing retailers, beer…
Congressional Cannabis Caucus – 116th Congress
On Wednesday, January 9, 2019, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) announced the leadership team of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus for the 116th Congress. In addition to Mr. Blumenauer, the Caucus will be co-chaired by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Dave Joyce…
A New Supreme Court Case May Impact the Future of Spirits Direct Shipping
By Marc Sorini & Bethany Hatef
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…
7th Circuit Issues Lebamoff Opinion
By Marc Sorini
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…
Bioengineered Food Disclosures
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…
Further CBP Guidance on Craft Beverage Modernization Act
By Marc Sorini
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:
…