MONTGOMERY — Spirit-based, ready-to-drink cocktails should remain under the control of the ABC Board, according to a report filed by the legislative Mixed Spirits Beverage Task Force on Wednesday.
Legislators unveiled a tentative proposal last month to be considered in the 2024 session that would allow pre-made mixed drink beverages to be sold in grocery and convenience stores in Alabama.
However, ABC Administrator Curtis Stewart expressed concerns about the possible change at a recent task force meeting due to the products’ relatively high alcohol content and their popularity with youths.
“The ABV (alcohol by volume) that I’ve heard thrown around is 12.5%. That remains too high. It is higher than the average products that are out there. It’s higher than the typical beer that’s being sold,” Stewart told legislators on the task force in January.
Mixed spirit beverages are currently taxed as liquor, with distribution limited to the Alcoholic Beverage Control Board (ABC Board) and retail sales limited to ABC stores and package stores.
The task force chaired by Senate Majority Leader Steve Livingston (R-Scottsboro) this week recommended spirit-based, ready-to-drink cocktails remain under the control of the ABC Board until questions about taxation, regulation, and concerns about marketing to minors could be answered.
Senate RTD Report by Caleb Taylor on Scribd
Customers are confused as to why the products aren’t available in Alabama grocery and convenience stores, according to J. Bart Fletcher, President of the Petroleum and Convenience Marketers of Alabama.
“You can also buy a spirit-based ready-to-drink product in Bryant-Denny stadium while you’re watching the Crimson Tide play football. You can also buy a spirit-based ready-to-drink beverage in Neville Arena tomorrow if you’re over there watching Auburn play Kentucky and, you know, they sell them singularly. It’s confusing to the customer that they can purchase these types of products at a college sporting event in the state, but they can not purchase them at their local grocery and convenience store,” Fletcher told 1819 News on Friday. “That’s the kind of customer confusion that our industry has in addition to the fact that you can purchase them in convenience and grocery stores in both Mississippi and Florida. A lot of our folks travel to Mississippi and a lot of our folks travel to the beach in Florida. It’s just an area of not only the desire on the customer’s part to purchase these products but also the confusion it’s created because of the fact that you can buy them in kind of random places in addition to the ABC stores and the package stores.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email caleb.taylor@1819News.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
