Washington: High booze prices hitting bar patrons in the wallet

June 16, 2012

Tucked away on Capitol Hill, nestled within the nooks and crannies of a dark wooden interior, 1,300 bottles of booze beckon customers to Canon.

Owner Jamie Boudreau created the Seattle bar and restaurant to be a cocktail capitol; a destination for fine drinking, where rare whisky and seldom-found scotch share shelf space in the dimly lit, diminutive joint.

The vast selection of imbibing options even led to Canon's recent nomination for "World's Best Cocktail Bar."

Despite critical acclaim -- and less than a year since opening -- the local hotspot is one of several Seattle bars mixed up in a predicament.

"We're not raising prices to be greedy. We are just trying to survive," Boudreau said, "and if we get charged more, we can only soak up so much of it."

It's been two weeks of soaking up -- and stirring through -- new prices on alcohol, since liquor sales became private in Washington State. The sticker shock that hit customers in grocery stores and wine shops is now becoming tough to swallow for bars and restaurants as well.

"Unfortunately for the most part, everything's going up, and going up substantially," Boudreau said, referring to the price he pays for many spirits. "A lot of my mid-range pours are going up -- up $5 a shot more, which is kind of outrageous. As soon as you start getting into more interesting spirits, more diverse selection, then you're seeing big jumps in prices."

To view the full story, click this link: http://www.seattlepi.com/local/komo/article/High-booze-prices-hitting-bar-patrons-in-the-3639501.php#ixzz1yvH7Ltz1

Source: Seattle PI 

June 20, 2012

HARRISBURG - An effort to pass legislation to sell the state-owned liquor stores to private owners is being put off until fall, Gov. Tom Corbett and House Majority Leader Mike Turzai said Tuesday.

"Right now, we can't get it over the goal line," said Turzai, R-28, Pittsburgh, about efforts to round up a majority of votes in the House to pass the legislation.

Corbett said lawmakers will be a better able to tackle the liquor privatization legislation during the several weeks they are in session this fall.

"I support it wholeheartedly," he said.

The two Republicans appeared together following a closed-door leadership negotiating session on the state budget. The Legislature is in the final two weeks of the spring session and faces a June 30 deadline to pass a state budget for fiscal 2012-13.

Turzai's bill would authorize the sale of the about 600 state stores and issuance of 1,600 retail liquor licenses with owners of beer distributors getting the first opportunity to buy a license. But Turzai said the bill will need more work during the summer to be ready for a floor vote.

The issue of whether beer distributors should have the first shot at retail licenses or other businesses such as supermarkets should get it is a sticking point, observers said.

Concerns about the future of 5,000 employees of the state Liquor Control Board under a private system is another issue. Turzai introduced the liquor store sale legislation nearly a year ago, and it has undergone several revisions before being slated for floor votes last week. But it quickly became apparent the bill lacks the necessary support despite the House GOP caucus having a 110-91 majority.

To view the full story, click this link: http://republicanherald.com/news/fight-to-privatize-pennsylvania-liquor-stores-delayed-until-fall-1.1332358

June 23, 2012

OKLAHOMA CITY - Big changes could be looming for Oklahoma's liquor laws, as the state Supreme Court continues to weigh whether a petition drive to change the state's liquor laws is constitutional.

News 9 first heard arguments for allowing that petition, but now business owners who could feel the biggest impacts if the laws ever do get changed are speaking out against the measure.

If the petition is successfully circulated and Oklahoma voters approve it, residents could find wine in some Oklahoma supermarkets.

It's a battle to keep wine out of the grocery stores and on the shelves of local liquor stores. Bryan Kerr owns Moore Liquor. He doesn't question the legality of the petition, but questions the motive behind it.

"The way this one is written, in particular, where it caters to some very specific interest people who own a couple of big grocery stores in big cities in Oklahoma, while cutting out everybody else," Kerr said.

Kerr says while it might sound like a good idea to some voters, he's confident as they learn more about the proposed changes; voters will turn the petition down.

"It doesn't provide us with anything more than a tiny bit of convenience. And the tradeoff is confusion, potentially higher prices in the future, potentially less selection in the future, taxes going out of state instead of in state," said Kerr.

"They're motivated to take that profit from the locally owned businesses and put it in the pockets of the big box businesses."

To view the full story, click this link: http://www.newson6.com/story/18864846/liquor-store-owner-speaks-out-against-changing-ok-liquor-laws

Source: News On 6

June 27, 2012

BALTIMORE  - When liquor stores are located near Baltimore schools, children sometimes wander in to buy snacks and soda from shelves next to alcohol.

Now the Baltimore City Council has overwhelmingly passed a bill to make it illegal for liquor stores to sell anything to minors. It would include seemingly harmless goods, such as snacks or soft drinks.

A spokesman for Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake tells The Baltimore Sun Tuesday that the mayor will sign the bill into law. It would take effect 30 days later.

The legislation does have critics. It would apply to stores that do as little as 20% of their business in alcohol sales.

Amendments were added to exempt grocery stores and restaurants. It also doesn't apply to stores selling beer and wine but not hard liquor.

Link: http://www.wtop.com/41/2920392/Baltimore-to-ban-liquor-store-snack-sales-to-kids-  

Source: WTOP