D N I F S R E L L I DIST
N O I T A Z I PRIVATGTON STATE IN WASHIN
G A B D E A MIX
W R IT TE N B Y WAT ER B U RY T M A R G A R ET
nicales might tech he United Stat two states no country, but ly be a single th on e books. e liquor laws ihave the sam it’s still poss eir diversity, th l al r fo ps t, Ye to two grou e 50 states in lible to divide th whether their portant line: along one im e. at or priv lace is public quor marketp the former. on ed to be e of Washington us oly meant r store monop uo liq n ru eat A st was the sole of Washington that the State ts in the Ever distilled spiri au st distributor of re rs, and Consumers, ba green State. stores, with m d at the sa e pe op sh e ik al e rants ss to the sam es, with acce an the same pric 11 in 20 products. Then selection of backed by re su ballot mea en iv dr eiv at iti in changed g-box retailers bi r he ot d an t Costco ate-run marke g the once st e ar that, privatizin ts iri how sp transforming and radically ngton. sold in Washi one of the that law led to of s ce an nu The ts for craft ing state marke most challeng
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e nation. distillers in th ashington’s ivatization, W pr re fo be Even DISCUS nation. Today, e th d le s xe ta liquor $32.52 per a whopping reports they’re gon has the mparison, Ore co r Fo n. llo ga $21.98 per spirits taxes at st he ig -h nd seco d, like Mison the low en es at st d an gallon tes of $2 and rado, have ra souri and Colo y. n, respectivel $2.28 per gallo stipulation because of a e, or rm he rt Fu uor sales to limits most liq in the law that et, the spirits ,000 square fe stores over 10 big-box retaildominated by w no is t ke ar m retailers foeaking, those sp ly al er en G ers. of mainstream large volumes ng cus on moving er than stocki products rath international spirits. locally distilled a selection of craft distillin a late start t go n to ng hi Was ast neighbors to its West Co ing compared Fly Distilling California. Dry in Oregon and . However, a open in 2007 to st fir e th was owess, reagricultural pr of re tu ix m e fertile tiring aerospac
red Microsoft , engineers, an stilling boom di a s created sdi tirement fund had 110 , Washington and by 2015 e in the any other stat an th e or m s, tillerie 19, that numbeginning of 20 union. At the er, by the end to 132. Howev ber had grown stilleries had Washington di 36 , 19 20 of any cite a 25 percent. M of ss lo a , g folded laws, a gruelin of restrictive ul d combination an scape, ribution land st di d an il de ta re g to their as contributin tra-high taxes mise. in business producers still rHow have the t? More impo ake ends mee m to ed ag es an m r experienc ssons do thei tantly, what le for distillers in decade hold n over the past ant to positio states who w e, riv other control th e, but not just surviv themselves to their own de to privatize ci de es at st r if thei liquor market?
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