Gov. Larry Hogan is scheduled to sign two bills into law Tuesday that would liberalize parts of laws related to Montgomery County’s Department of Liquor Control (DLC).
One bill would enable craft distillers—such as whiskey or gin makers—to sell and deliver their products directly to restaurants in the county. The change would allow distilleries to bypass the DLC, which controls the distribution of alcohol and the retail sale of all liquor in the county.
A similar change made two years ago allows breweries to self-distribute to bars and beer and wine retailers in the county. After the change, several local breweries opened in the county and the owners cited the change as one of the reasons they chose to locate their businesses locally.
Currently there’s one craft distillery—Twin Valley Distillers in Rockville—in the county and 14 licensed distilleries in the state, according to a General Assembly memo detailing the legislation. However, the law would also enable out-of-state distilleries to sell their products directly to county restaurants and bars.
The distillery must produce less than 100,000 gallons of liquor annually in order to qualify for the $100 license that would allow self-distribution in the county.
A second bill expected to receive Hogan’s signature would eliminate distance requirements for bars, restaurants or beer and wine shops from schools and churches. Instead, the county’s Board of License Commissioners, a five-member board that reviews liquor license applications, would review applications for alcohol-related businesses planning to open near schools or churches to make sure issuing a license to the new business would not adversely affect the school or worship center.
Current law generally prohibits the board from issuing an alcohol license to a business that’s within 750 feet of a school or church. The change was being pursued by two entrepreneurs—Brendan and Bailey O’Leary—who are interested in opening a brewery in downtown Bethesda, but encountered problems finding a location large enough for their plans that was far enough away from a church or school
The change could also help other heavily developed areas in the county—such as downtown Silver Spring—more easily welcome new restaurants, breweries and beer and wine shops. The bill was sponsored by Del. Charles Barkley (D-Germantown).
