Tennessee liquor laws are hopelessly complicated, and the rules for sake are among the most byzantine. Sake is rice wine. Is it wine under Tennessee law? No. Wine is made from grapes or other fruit. Rice is a grain. Sake is clear and tastes like liquor. It must be liquor. Ever slammed a sake bomb? […] Read more
Anyone that has applied for a liquor license for a grocery or retail liquor store in Tennessee understands red tape. We purchase the stuff by the truckload around here. We seem to consume more red tape than oxygen and bourbon – combined. Starting July 1, 2017, applications for Certificate of Compliance in Tennessee must be […] Read more
Restaurant, hospitality and grocery insiders call it the wall. You know, the place where you have to publicly display your liquor license and other stuff the State of Tennessee issues. We hear it all too often from restaurant, bar, hotel and grocery store owners and managers: what signs do I have to post on the […] Read more
We figured that following passage of Wine in Grocery Store legislation, which we affectionately call WIGS, popular demand among consumers would lead to more changes in Tennessee law. We blogged about pending legislation to legalize the sale of many wine coolers and niche products like sangria mixes in groceries and other food stores. https://www.lastcalltn.com/tennessee-considers-more-wine-in-grocery-stores-with-legislation/ In […] Read more
Wine in Grocery Store legislation, which we affectionately call WIGS, allowed Tennessee grocery stores to sell wine beginning July 1, 2016, with a food store license issued by the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission. WIGS was a messy compromise. We expected that WIGS would be revised to fix thorny issues. A bill pending in the 2017 Tennessee […] Read more
We have been remiss in not posting photos from liquor conferences. Sorry. Reminds us of Nirvana’s All Apologies: What else should I write I don’t have the right What else should I be All apologies Here are photos from the 2016 annual meeting of the National Association of Licensing and Compliance Professionals. And from the 2016 […] Read more
The Department of Revenue recently announced major changes to liquor bonds for Tennessee restaurants, bars, venues and other liquor license holders. Read more here. We expect some chaos, which at least keeps it interesting for us jaded old fools. Speaking of old folks, chaos reminds us of this classic Cold War parody from Get Smart: […] Read more
We follow up our Tennessee high gravity beer news with minutia that only a serious industry member like a Brewery could appreciate. The info in this post is compliments of Bone McAllester Alcoholic Beverage team member Rob Pinson, after consulting with reliable sources. This is all subject to change, as the “law” is being interpreted. […] Read more
On January 1, 2017, the legal definition of beer in Tennessee changes from 5% to 8% alcohol by weight. Meaning that beers with less than roughly 10% alcohol by volume no longer fall into that crazy category known as high gravity beer. In Tennessee, beers stronger than 5% by weight or around 6.5% by volume […] Read more
We often get this question during the holidays? Can my restaurant or bar give a bottle of wine or spirits to a vendor or good customer for Christmas in Tennessee? We recommend not. First, we suspect that an ABC agent will presume that the restaurant is giving away alcohol for off-premises consumption, which is a […] Read more
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