Posts Categorized: Three Tier System

What Can You Buy For $150 Million in the Alcohol Industry?

Our recent report on campaign contributions by America’s alcohol wholesalers outlines the astounding $107 million the middle tier has contributed to state political campaigns over the past five election cycles. The amount dwarfs what all other sectors of the alcohol industry have given in the same year. More importantly, the report is one clue as… Read more »

Who’s Killing The Fine Wine Retailers?

Independent fine wine retailers are at risk of commercial irrelevancy by being permanently shut out of the lucrative wine shipping channel and the expanded markets they need for future survival. A combination of their own shortsighted fear of competition, the emergence of multi-state retail licensees and retailers’ proclivity to side with industry groups that don’t… Read more »

The Ongoing Attempt to Kill America’s Greatest Wine Retailers

In the face of the declining brick and mortar retail sector at the hands of Amazon and other online players, it’s hard to overstate the shortsightedness of the opponents of retailer-to-consumer wine shipping. Without the ability to access the broader, more expansive national marketplace for fine wine via direct interstate shipment , traditional specialty wine… Read more »

The Pitiful Selection of Wines Distributed in Texas

Perhaps the primary reason consumers benefit by access to out-of-state products is that the traditional three-tier system that puts products on the shelves in most states is terrible at providing consumers with choices. Consider the state of Texas. In the past 24 months, the Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission, which overseas alcohol sales and distribution in… Read more »

What Modern American Wine Retailers Support

Each year state legislatures across the country see the introduction of new bills around January and February that in one way or another reform the alcohol beverage laws of their states. Some of the legislation is an honest attempt to make a highly regulated industry operate more smoothly or more efficiently or with more transparency…. Read more »

Wholesalers and 3 Tier System Biggest Threat to Alcohol Retailers

Perhaps the biggest lie told by proponents of strict adherence to the three system of alcohol regulation is that by forcing retailers to purchase products from wholesalers, rather than direct from the producer, prevents undue pressure being put on the retailer by the producer. This position was most recently articulate by Tim Kent of the… Read more »