Raising the Bar – stay ahead of the pack with current ABC regulatory and legislative news.

The Williams Mullen Alcoholic Beverage Control Team helps clients navigate complex laws affecting the production, distribution, sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages. Learn more about our people and scope of services here. 

   

Blog Listing

  July 08, 2022 Modernization of N.C. Alcohol Laws During 2022 Legislative Short Session The North Carolina General Assembly passed legislation to modernize North Carolina’s alcohol laws during the 2022 legislative short session.    August 12, 2021 Proposed North Carolina Common Area Entertainment Permit Rules The NC ABC Commission has circulated proposed common area entertainment permit rules, which are still in the drafting stage.     December 10, 2020 Governor Cooper Issues "Modified Stay at Home" Order Effective December 11th On December 8, 2020, Governor Cooper issued a “modified Stay at Home” order (Executive Order 181) effective Friday, December 11th at 5pm until January 8th.   September 25, 2020 Proposed North Carolina “Come to Rest” Rules The North Carolina ABC Commission filed proposed permanent “come to rest” rules applicable to North Carolina wholesalers.    March 31, 2020 North Carolina ABC Issues and COVID-19 Williams Mullen has been working with the North Carolina ABC Commission and state regulators on alcohol issues relating to COVID-19.  We have also published articles for businesses on various legal issues relating to COVID-19, a complete list of which can be found here.     August 07, 2019 North Carolina Distillery and ABC Modernization Bill Signed into Law On July 29, 2019, Governor Cooper signed SB290 into law.  The bill makes major changes to North Carolina alcohol laws, including allowing distilleries to sell unlimited bottles directly from the distillery and to sell mixed drinks at the distillery.   April 15, 2019 25 Proposed Changes to N.C. ABC Laws Brewing in 2019 North Carolina House Bill 536, the ABC Omnibus Regulatory Reform Bill, was recently introduced. A link to the bill is here. Below is a summary of the provisions. If passed, most provisions of the legislation would be effective July 1, 2019.   June 19, 2018 What’s Brewing – 2018 Changes to North Carolina ABC Laws The North Carolina General Assembly ratified House Bill 500, ABC Omnibus Legislation, and the bill has been presented to the Governor for signature. The legislation makes various changes to North Carolina ABC laws, which affect suppliers, wholesalers and retailers, as summarized below.  These changes are effective upon signature by the Governor.   December 28, 2017 New Tax Bill Includes Significant Changes to Federal Alcohol Excise Taxes On Wednesday, December 20, 2017, Congress passed H.R. 1, commonly known as the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (the “Act”) and President Trump signed the Act into law on Friday, December 22nd.  The Act makes significant changes to individual and business tax rules, and we invite you to read Williams Mullen’s update here.  Of interest and benefit to the alcoholic beverage industry, the Act includes the Federal excise tax reductions and certain other changes proposed in the Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (the “CBA”) (H.R. 747 / S. 236).  It is important to note that these CBA tax reductions and changes are, at present, only effective for 2018 and 2019 and will “sunset” after December 31, 2019.       November 13, 2017 Financing Risk Assessment - NC Craft Brewers Guild Keith Kapp and Jennifer Morgan of Williams Mullen, along with Ken Jernigan of Hannover Square and Sebastian Wolfrum of Bull Durham Beer Co. and Epiphany Craft Malt, gave a presentation on November 9, 2017 at the North Carolina Craft Brewers Guild annual conference on Financing Risk Assessment, which addressed financing for breweries in the evolving craft brewing industry.