At Press Time

One of the longstanding arbitrary blue laws in Massachusetts forbids the sale of alcohol before noon on Sundays. It’s arbitrary because any other day of the week you can order a cocktail at 8am, if you so choose, and if the establishment has the right type of license. Sundays, however,... Read More

In a frustrating move, the House has rejected Republican-led efforts to lift the state’s new sales tax on alcohol sold in stores as well as an amendment to repeal last year’s increase in the sales tax, which raised the rate from 5 percent to 6.25 percent. The proposed tax cuts... Read More

It may seem like a great way to make extra money, particularly in this economy, but the business of liquor delivery could end up costing a store much more than it’s worth. Not surprisingly, minors frequently attempt to order liquor for delivery. What is surprising is how often they seem... Read More

Was there ever really any doubt that this would happen? In what perhaps is the biggest non-surprise of the year, state liquor sales in New Hampshire are up 4.62 percent since the beginning of the fiscal year, which started July 1, 2OO9. This, of course, is around the time when... Read More

celebrated its 1Oth Anniversary in March with a record number of entries, topping last year’s high mark by 17 percent. The competition’s founder and Executive Director, the tasting panel magazine’s Anthony Dias Blue,  celebrated the anniversary by introducing mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim as the new Director of Judging. Abou-Ganim joined as... Read More

was held in New York in March. Founded by award-winning journalist, author, educator, and critic F. Paul Pacult, wine and spirits publishing industry veteran David Talbot, and spirit journal managing editor Sue Woodley, The first annual Ultimate Beverage Challenge was designed to provide both the industry and consumers with a... Read More

One of the scariest things about bar fights is how quickly they can escalate.  And when glasses start getting hurled around, it adds another dimension to the violence.  But fear not. Drunken pub fights in Britain (where they’ve seemingly set the gold standard) are set to get safer with the... Read More

malt advocate has announced the winners of this year’s Whisky Awards. Now in their sixteenth year, this is the oldest and longest-running annual whisky awards program. They honor the world’s greatest whiskies and distilleries, and the individuals who make and promote them. To be eligible for this year’s awards, products... Read More

will take place Friday, April 23 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.  Presented by malt advocate, America’s largest whisky celebration will feature more than 2OO of the world’s finest, rarest and most expensive single malt and blended Scotch, Irish, bourbon, American, Japanese, Canadian, and other whiskies from around the world to... Read More

will take place MAY 19 to 23.  The Festival is attended by over 175 global wineries, each typically represented by the winemaker or vineyard owner.  Celebrity chefs will lead seminars in wine and food pairings and perform cooking demonstrations.  The Nantucket Historical Association, Community Sailing and the Nantucket New School... Read More