Crazy Liquor Laws

It's Enough to Drive You to Drink!

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It’s Been a Long Time

Whoa! It looks like it’s been close to TEN YEARS since I last posted.

I know it’s not “Thirsty Thursday”, but this couldn’t wait…

Yesterday, I took a big step. I started the process of writing “Crazy Liquor Laws: It’s Enough to Drive You to Drink!”… the book. As I said in my Welcome post, “For years I’ve been saying, ‘I need to write a book about this stuff!'” Well, I think it’s now time to REALLY get started. Yesterday, with the help of ChatGPT, I started organizing everything I need to write a book.

Crazy Liquor Laws book cover

I had ChatGPT create:

  • Cover art
  • Table of Contents
  • Chapter Outlines
  • A Book Proposal Outline
  • A Self-Publishing Plan (Including an Estimated Budget)
  • A list of book writing tools
  • A Visual Style Guide
  • A project schedule and timeline
  • A Notion database to track all of the crazy laws
  • A fundraising plan for Kickstarter and Buy Me a Coffee
  • An Email launch sequence and press kit
  • Ideas for Facebook, Instagram, and X

ChatGPT has been a HUGE help. I’m already using it to research details on some of the laws that I’ve already written about here. It has pulled all of my posts from this blog into our database and made a first cut at placing each in the proposed chapter outline. We will be redesigning this site to reflect the graphic design of the book.


Here’s to a full-bodied adventure—bold at the start, a little nutty in the middle, and a smooth finish that sneaks up on you!


What do you think?

So let me know what you think. Do you have a Crazy Liquor Law story? We want to hear about it. Leave a comment below. Or email me at Mark@CrazyLiquorLaws.com. You will need to register to comment and at that time I will need your email address; but don’t worry; I won’t be spamming you and will never sell your information.

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Welcome to Crazy Liquor Laws!

It’s been an interesting journey…

I didn’t realize it until relatively recently, but I have been preparing for this day for most of my adult life.

Spring break 1977 (my Freshman year):

I drove from Little Rock, Arkansas to Emporia, Kansas to visit my good friend Lynnette. Her spring break was a different week so she was in classes, but we still had the evenings for her to initiate me into the wonderful world of legal drinking. You see, at that time, the legal drinking age in Kansas was 18… for “Three-Two Beer”; beer with an alcohol content of 3.2% by volume or lower. In Arkansas, the drinking age was already 21 for everything. So I learned the fine art of playing drinking games… and projectile vomiting and not eating for 24 hours. Also, I could buy Coors! (3.2 Coors, but still…) In 1977, Coors was not available west of a line along Kansas/Oklahoma/Texas. This wasn’t the “law” per se, just marketing.

1984:

My wife, Tracy, and I lived in Tulsa, Oklahoma from the time of our marriage in 1980 until 1984. We were accustomed to some of the strange Oklahoma liquor laws (much more to come on these pages over the coming weeks) but some of the craziest goings on accomanied the fight in 1984 over so-called “liquor by the drink”. The hypocrisy prior to 1984 effectionatly known as “liquor by the wink” was highlighted by a local restaurant being closed down on a regular basis and finally resulting in a public relations disaster when patrons of another Tulsa restaurant arrested for having a glass of wine with their meal were found to be out of state guests… in town for a funeral.

1988:

I was on an IT consulting assignment (my first) in Marion, Indiana when we discovered that we could not buy beer at a convenience store between 3:00 and 6:00 am. (Don’t ask.)

2002 or 2003:

On another consulting assignment in the Seattle, Washington area, I visited a brew pub and decided to purchase a growler to take with me back to my apartment. Instead of just dropping the growler off at my table with my check as I was accustomed to, the waitress informed me that, due to local liquor laws, when I was ready to leave, she would have to meet me in the vestibule and hand the growler to me there. This was one of the first times I thought, “I need to write a book!” about strange liquor laws around the country.

2015:

I was listening to a comedian on XM radio talk about his experiences with drive through daiquiri bars in Louisiana. As long as the straw hasn’t punctured the plastic lid, or if the straw is inserted into the lid but the paper still covers the top end of the straw, the cup is not considered an “open container”. I need to write a book!

2016:

While enduring an extended period of unemployment (or “bench time” as we euphemistically call it in the consulting world) I have been looking for an online business involving some combination of blog, podcast, and/or newsletter. CrazyLiquorLaws.com is born!

And here we are…

I still need to write a book. The plan is for CrazyLiquorLaws.com to be my research tool for Crazy Liquor Laws – The Book.

Those of you who travel a lot or those of you who live in mostly southern states (or Utah) know that there are some strange laws out there pertaining to the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. And they vary from state to state, county to county, sometimes city to city and even precinct to precinct within a city. This can be confusing even in your own home area. But if you travel a lot or move frequently it can make your head spin. It leaves you asking ” Where (and when) can I get a drink?”. Whether it be a beer or a glass of wine with dinner or a bottle of wine or a six pack to take to your hotel room or apartment.

For years I’ve been saying, “I need to write a book about this stuff!” Well, I think it’s time to get started. “The book” will probably be a while in coming, but in the meantime I want to start with a blog and maybe a podcast on the subject. This could lead to special localized eBooks and maybe an app. Then when I have all of the information compiled for all 50 states I could publish the book. I kind of see it as an entertaining travel guide.

Let’s do this together

Here’s where I need your help now. I need material fodder. What are some of the stranger laws that you have come across? I plan to actually catalog all information pertaining to liquor laws by jurisdiction including hours, types (beer, wine, “hard” liquor) and venue (liquor store, grocery store, club/restaurant, etc.) to be used as a reference. But I will highlight the more unusual as I come across them. I will also continue to share my own anecdotes gathered from my years of traveling around the country as a consultant.

I should probably also address DUI/”open container” laws. This could be a real issue for some of my consultant friends who travel a lot. The law’s definition of an “open container can vary from an empty, bone dry, obviously been in the back seat for a week beer can being considered an “open container” to being able to drive through and pick up a margarita and take it home with you as long as the straw hasn’t punctured the plastic lid.

What do you think?

So let me know what you think. Do you have a Crazy Liquor Law story? We want to hear about it. Leave a comment below. Or email me at Mark@CrazyLiquorLaws.com. You will need to register to comment and at that time I will need your email address; but don’t worry; I won’t be spamming you and will never sell your information.

Cheers!
Mark

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Jack and Coke? Sorry, but no.

Best at the source

In my opinion, Guinness beer is best in Ireland; Dublin in particular. It would also make sense that Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey would be best in Lynchburg, Tennessee, where it has been charcoal mellowed, drop by drop for 150 years. But the closest you can get to a Jack & soda in Lynchburg is small samples in the tasting room on the tasting tour of the Jack Daniel’s facility. Because even though there are 48 warehouses with 200 million liters of Jack Daniel’s Sour Mash Whiskey stored in barrels on the hill outside of Lynchburg, Moore County, Tennessee is a dry county. That’s right. They can make it. But they can’t sell it.

OK. That’s not totally true. There is a loophole in Tennessee law allowing distilleries to sell one commemorative product on location regardless of local statutes. Jack Daniel’s now sells the original No. 7 blend (in a commemorative bottle), Gentleman Jack, Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel,  and a seasonal blend (on rotation) in their White Rabbit Bottle Shop. I’ve heard this described as “they will sell you the bottle…and the whiskey comes in it for free”, which may have been the case in the past, but this appears to be part of 2009 legislation allowing manufacturers to open distilleries in about 44 counties where both retail package sales of liquor and liquor-by-the-drink sales have been locally approved.

Under Tennessee Law:

  • A distillery license allows a facility to manufacture or distill alcoholic spirituous beverages with an alcohol content of over five percent (5%) by weight and to sell those beverages for consumption off premise. They can also offer samples of their manufactured product without cost or may include those samples as part of a tour of the premises with or without cost.
  • Anyone who wishes to distill alcoholic spirituous beverages for commercial purposes must be licensed as a manufacturer/distiller.
  • A licensed distillery can serve free samples of the product to anyone over twenty-one (21) as a part of a public tour of the manufacturer’s or distillery’s premises. The location where samples are given must be disclosed to the TABC.
  • A licensed distillery can sell its product at retail for consumption off premise to any person of legal drinking age limited to five gallons (5 gal.) or one sixth (1/6) of a barrel of its product to any one (1) individual per visit to the premises.
  • Retail sales at the distillery must occur between eight o’clock a.m. (8:00 a.m.) and eleven o’clock p.m. (11:00 p.m.) on Monday through Saturday and between the hours of twelve o’clock (12:00) noon and seven o’clock p.m. (7:00 p.m.) on Sunday.
  • Product sold at retail or given for samples must be obtained from a wholesaler.

I think that last one is a little interesting. Jack Daniel’s has to sell its whiskey to a wholesaler who in turn sells it back to Jack Daniel’s so that they can give it away as samples or sell it as a souvenir in their gift shop. OK, that’s just crazy. Jack Daniel’s also has a “By the Barrel program” where you hand-select your very own barrel of Single Barrel Select and it will be bottled just for you. You can even have the label personalized. But you don’t actually buy it from Jack Daniel’s. Nope.
If you live in Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, UK or US, in 8-12 weeks plus shipping, an average of 252 bottles of 750ml whiskey plus an empty barrel sanded, varnished and affixed with a personalized, engraved plaque will be shipped to a participating retailer in your area, where you will pay for your barrel when you pick it up at the retailer. All for only $10,000 -$12,000 (more or less, depending on the exact number of bottles and taxes).

Only in Lynchburg

There has been a lot of folk lore around this oddity of whiskey being produced in a city/county where it can’t be legally sold. The most mentioned were Jack Daniel’s and Jim Beam. Jim Beam is produced in Clermont, Bullitt County, KY which until 2011/2012 was a dry county. But after a string of legislation and votes in 2011/2012, Bullitt County, along with every other county on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is now wet. As a matter of fact, according to a 2000 University of Cincinnati study by UC geography graduate student Kevin Raleigh, wet and dry counties “is an aspect of Kentucky that seems unique, and it seems to be going away.” According to Raleigh, in 1977 85 of Kentucky’s 120 counties were dry. As of fall 2000 when he completed his study, that number was down to 75. And as of 2012, the last year for which I could find clear numbers, 39 are dry, 32 are wet and 49 are moist or dry with special circumstances. And as is the case across much of the formerly dry southern “Bible Belt”, this is frequently changing as more and more jurisdictions hold “local option” elections as the sale of alcohol in various forms spreads througout the region.

What do you think?

So let me know what you think. Is your area wet or dry? Or moist? Have you been to the Jack Daniel’s distillery in Lynchburg? Or the Guinness brewery in Dublin? Luck you! We want to hear about it. Leave a comment below. Or email me at Mark@CrazyLiquorLaws.com. You will need to register to comment and at that time I will need your email address; but don’t worry; I won’t be spamming you and will never sell your information.

Cheers!

Mark

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Liquor Laws at 30,000 Feet

Business travel is SO glamorous!

Yeah, right. I think it IS kind of cool that I am writing this on my iPad mini sitting in seat 21A on AA flight 2668 at 30,000 feet flying from Dayton, OH to Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX. But our flight was delayed from 4:25pm to almost 8:00pm. No bueno.

When I realized on my way to the airport this afternoon that this was Thursday and I hadn’t written this week’s post, I decided to spring the $9.95 for WiFi access and write and publish the post on the plane. And then the subject came to me…

What are the rules for alcoholic beverages on airline flights?

And of course the answer is… It depends. Let’s get the easy part out of the way first. If you are flying in the US, the FAA says:

 “No person may drink any alcoholic beverage aboard an aircraft unless the certificate holder operating the aircraft has served that beverage.”

So no BYOB unless you have the flight attendant serve it.

Other than that, it’s kind of the Wild West up here. But there are some general rubles of thumb and common practices that you can pretty much count on.

How old?

For age requirements, generally count on the laws of the home country of the carrier applying, unless the age for the departure country is higher, then that age will probably apply.

For instance, if you’re flying to Cancun where the legal drinking age is eighteen for spring break on AA, you probably won’t be starting the party early if you’re nineteen. No joy on the return flight either. But if you’re flying Mexicana, the bar could be open on the return, although the bouncer is probably going to spoil your southbound party.

Can I get a Bloody Mary on Sunday morning?

Generally, the airlines are bound by, or voluntarily follow the laws of the departure jurisdiction while on the ground. So if the flight is leaving a city in a state where no liquor may be served before noon on Sunday, no pre-flight cocktails before noon, but once you get in the air, the bar’s open. The same for countries like those in the Middle East where alcohol is prohibited. Party like it’s 1999 until touchdown.

Another strange one I came across envolves requirements for flight attendants to be trained as alcohol servers. Since 1993, the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board has required that airline personnel undergo alcohol server training. Any airlines using Alaska airports must report to state officials the form and substance of the training they give their flight personnel. After an incident in 2006 when an intoxicated passenger from a US Airways flight to Santa Fe, New Mexico killed a family of five while driving the wrong way on Interstate 25, New Mexico followed suit. All but 13 states require that transportation companies including airlines obtain liquor licenses before they can serve liquor on flights departing the state.

Hazardous Cargo

Alcoholic beverages with more than 70% alcohol content (140 proof), including 95% grain alcohol and 150 proof rum, are prohibited in your checked luggage.

You may take up to five liters of alcohol with alcohol content between 24% and 70% per person as checked luggage if it’s packaged in a sealable bottle or flask.

Alcoholic beverages with less than 24% alcohol content are not subject to hazardous materials regulations. (Ka-BOOM!)

What do you think?

Well, I need to wrap this up before they shut down the WiFi for landing. Do you have any high flying liquor law stories? We want to hear about it. Leave a comment below. Or email me at Mark@CrazyLiquorLaws.com. You will need to register to comment and at that time I will need your email address; but don’t worry; I won’t be spamming you and will never sell your information.

Cheers!

Mark

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OK. THIS is a dry week.

Just about as dry as the counties where Jim Beam and Jack Daniels whiskeys are made. I know, right? What’s up with that? A good topic for a future post. But I have research to do.

What do you think?

Do you have ideas for a post? Crazy stories? We want to hear about it. Leave a comment below. Or email me at Mark@CrazyLiquorLaws.com. You will need to register to comment and at that time I will need your email address; but don’t worry; I won’t be spamming you and will never sell your information.

Cheers!

Mark

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Aloha!

Aloha! As you may have guessed, this week we are traveling to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and our 50th state, Hawaii. I have had a draft for this post for quite a while containing nothing but the title and this little tidbit that I picked up somewhere and knew I needed to keep.

By law, you may only have one alcoholic drink in front of you at a time.

But we’ll get back to that in a later post. Because when I started researching Hawaii liquor law this morning I came across another interesting subject. (Squirrel!!)

I don’t know yet whether this applies to other parts of the state, but in Honolulu (actually the entire island of Oahu is Honolulu County) employees who sell and serve liquor must be licensed. The must obtain a Certificate of Registration or “Liquor Card”. It costs $10 (I think we see WHY this is required. ???? ) and is good for four years.

Restaurant and retail type licensees only require Managers/Assistant Managers to register. “Dispenser, Cabaret, Hotel, Club, Brewpub, or Condominium Hotel licensees require all employees in that section of the licensed premises where liquor is sold, served or consumed to be registered.

But wait! There’s more!

All Managers, Assistant Managers and Bartenders of liquor establishments (restaurants, bars, clubs, hotels, vessels, etc.), and all Managers and Assistant Managers of retail stores are required to take the “Server-Training class”.  This too is good for four years.

I’m really not sure why these are required, except that Hawaii is a pretty “progressive” state that feels like if there isn’t a regulation for that then there needs to be. I can kind of see some good in the training aspect. But I think there are much more important things that we need to be spending money on.

What do you think?

So let me know what you think. Do other states or jurisdictions require licensing and/or training to sell or serve booze? Do you think it’s a good idea? Maybe not? We want to hear about it. Leave a comment below. Or email me at Mark@CrazyLiquorLaws.com. You will need to register to comment and at that time I will need your email address; but don’t worry; I won’t be spamming you and will never sell your information.

Cheers!

Mark