Georgia’s craft liquor distillers would be allowed to sell limited amounts of their products directly to consumers under legislation filed in the state House on Thursday.
House Bill 60, sponsored by Rep. Ron Stephens, R-Savannah, would also let distillers feature on-site dining.
Stephens said he has been assured the state’s liquor wholesalers, who have long worked to block any bill that allowed alcohol manufacturers to bypass them, would not object to the bill.
HB 60 only applies to liquor manufacturers, not craft beer brewers, who have also yearned for the ability to offer direct sales at breweries. The Georgia Craft Brewers Guild and the Georgia Beer Wholesalers remain in negotiations about a possible compromise.
Liquor manufacturers, however, would be allowed to sell up to 1,000 barrels of booze a year directly to consumers from their distilleries.
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