Why Is It So Expensive to Drink Cocktails in North Carolina? | Eater Carolinas

"Run by Melissa Katrincic and her husband Lee in Durham, this craft distillery produces an award-winning gin but must navigate a system where the same state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) that licenses and inspects them is also their main customer and regulator. I describe how they have to personally appeal to every single ABC jurisdiction to carry their products, that ABC employees are not allowed to taste products outside two statewide exhibitions, and that distillers shoulder a 30 percent excise tax plus warehousing freight, bailment fees, and required shipments through the single Raleigh warehouse. While grateful that the local Durham ABC board has given them shelf space and support—especially during the pandemic—I note their frustration and wonder why there is resistance from the ABC to change these rules." - Matt Lardie