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...and make a DIFFERENCE!

Welcome to Spirits United!

We are a community of advocates united with a common goal to ensure adult consumers can enjoy distilled spirits where they want, how they want and when they want, responsibly.

Through Spirits United we can:

Amplify our voices to reach important legislators and decision makers in our communities, states and federal government
Secure a more modern and accessible market for adult spirits consumers.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Trending Issue:

We Need Toasts Not Tariffs!

Unfortunately, the recently announced U.S. – E.U. trade agreement includes a 15% tariff on ALL E.U. spirits and wine imports and SIGNIFICANTLY raises future risk that the EU will impose a 35% tariff on U.S. spirits and wines!

Additionally, the U.S. continues to impose a 10% tariff on UK spirits including Scotch Whisky!

We Need Your Voice! Negotiations are still active. That means there’s still time to fix this—but only if we speak up NOW!

TAKE ACTION by adding your name to our petition to President Trump asking for the permanent return of fair and reciprocal trade between the U.S., EU and UK.

Your voice is a critical asset in shaping the issues that impact our industry and consumers.

Please take a minute to sign-up using this form to join our effort. We’ll follow-up in the coming days with more information on how you can help.

Please know that Spirits United values your privacy. You can unsubscribe from communications at any time and we will never sell your information.

Why Spirits United

We believe that when life gives you a chance and a reason to celebrate, you should have the freedom to enjoy spirits responsibly and without inconvenience. Advocacy is a team effort!

Your voice is a critical asset in shaping the issues that impact our industry and consumers.

$200 billion

generated by our industry to the economy

1.7 million

jobs supported by our industry

2.2 billion

pounds of grains in production of beverage alcohol

Key Issues

Ready-to-Drink Cocktails

In many states, consumer access to spirits ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails is severely restricted by outdated laws that prohibit the sale of these products at grocery and convenience stores. Modernizing alcohol laws will boost small businesses, raise state tax revenue and support consumer choice.

Direct-To-Consumer Shipping of Spirits

Only 11 states currently allow distillers to ship their products directly to consumers. Direct-to-consumer shipping has, will and should continue to serve as an additional market access channel to the traditional three-tier system of alcohol beverage distribution.

Cocktails To-Go

During COVID-19, more than 35 states began allowing restaurants and/or bars to sell cocktails to-go as an economic relief measure for struggling businesses. Since then, 18 states and the District of Columbia passed legislation to make cocktails to-go permanent, and 14 other states passed legislation to allow cocktails to-go on a temporary basis.

Seven-Day Sales

Six states still prohibit the retail sale of distilled spirits bottles on Sundays. Removing the ban on seven-day sales will promote a free market, increases consumer convenience, and allow local businesses to make their own decisions about when to open or close their stores.

Taxation

The current taxation scheme in almost every state includes a federal excise tax, a state excise tax and significant state and local licensing fees imposed on retailers (bars, restaurants and liquor stores).These discriminatory tax rates put spirits at a competitive disadvantage vis-à-vis beer and wine. In the end, this hurts spirits consumers.

Spirits Tastings

Forty-eight states allow some form of distilled spirits tastings, 42 allow tastings in bars and restaurants, and 45 states allow tastings in retail stores that sell spirits for off-premise consumption. Also, 39 states allow consumer spirits tastings at both on- and off-premise establishments.