5 ms·

Does this mean I can't buy sake through the mail now if i'm in one of those stupid 36 states?

busterarm 9y ago
Yes. There's a mead producer I'm fond out in North Carolina and I haven't been able to get their bottles shipped to NY for some time. To get around that, I'd been shipping them to my mom's in South Carolina and we've been making exchanges whenever one of us visits the other. That's not an option anymore and my only route will now have to be a 2 hour drive from her house whenever I visit there (since she's not going to be making that drive...). It's not like there's great distribution of mead here, even though this is NYC. Consumers lose this round, I guess. What I can do at least is form a relationship with a local store/distributor and have them place a prepaid, minimum case (likely minimum 6 case) order at a time, with whatever huge markup they decide to add for doing nothing more than being legally able to place the order.
- chiph 9y ago
  I have an interesting NC/SC story - There's a discount wine/liquor store right across the state line from the Carowinds amusement park (in Charlotte). People from North Carolina were driving down and loading up (which is different from "getting loaded"...) their cars to save some money. The NC Alcoholic Beverage Control Board took exception to this (loss of tax revenue, possible blue-law violations, etc.) and sent one of their officers down there. He sat in the parking lot and would radio the license plates of cars with North Carolina tags that he observed buying large quantities of booze on to a team of agents waiting on I-77. Who would then pull the buyers over and charge them with bootlegging. The South Carolina Highway Patrol got wind of this and sent several officers to the parking lot to explain to the North Carolina revenuer the concept of jurisdiction, and how he was out of his.
  - huehehue 9y ago
    The fact that interstate bootlegging is something that even exists blows my mind. Feels like the states are all part of the same system until you hit stuff like archaic blue laws, marijuana laws, abortion laws, auto insurance, and (recently) gay marriage. Those are all important things, and it's pretty frustrating not to have the same rights in some states as I do in others. I'm surprised (but glad) there aren't state border crossing stops yet. This is small stuff like getting wine and fireworks across state lines, I can't begin to imagine how someone who needs an abortion must feel about it.
    - CocaKoala 9y ago
      > there aren't state border crossing stops yet Actually, funny story, when I was driving from Seattle to California a few years back, we got stopped around the Oregon-California border for a checkpoint. They ask questions to make sure you aren't importing fruits or plant matter that might be carrying pests non-native to the area (think "emerald ash borer" if you aren't sure what they're looking for). Anyways, I didn't realize what was happening for a moment, and thought it was a toll road. It was a very awkward moment when I tried to hand the guy some cash as he walked up to my window.
  - busterarm 9y ago
    Awesome story...and I think I know the exact discount liquor store you're talking about, too...
- mitchty 9y ago
  So I just had a quick run to my favorite sake site, it looks like I can still order sake (I ordered a Junmai Ginjo). Interestingly North Dakota (random state that can ship wine) can't get sake shipped. I wonder if sake qualifies as something else like beer. Its brewed the same way basically, so perhaps the laws are restricted to grape wines only?
  - busterarm 9y ago
    My mead distributor hasn't updated their site to reflect the new enforcement either. I wouldn't chance it as they may run into problems once it's time to ship. Or I'd stock up a ton now. As for me, I think I'm about to start producing my own mead anyway.
    - mitchty 9y ago
      It sucks because getting good sake in the midwest is... hard at best. Every place that has sake has no friggin clue how to even know if something is good. Stocking up like crazy will only work so long, and making sake isn't exactly something I'd try, even given how close it is to regular beer fermentation. I ordered a single small bottle, so even if it gets held up its not as big of a deal, I hope. Time to go call my legislature and tell them to fix the bill or I vote for the other team again out of spite.

Yes. There's a mead producer I'm fond out in North Carolina and I haven't been able to get their bottles shipped to NY for some time. To get around that, I'd been shipping them to my mom's in South Carolina and we've been making exchanges whenever one of us visits the other. That's not an option anymore and my only route will now have to be a 2 hour drive from her house whenever I visit there (since she's not going to be making that drive...). It's not like there's great distribution of mead here, even though this is NYC. Consumers lose this round, I guess. What I can do at least is form a relationship with a local store/distributor and have them place a prepaid, minimum case (likely minimum 6 case) order at a time, with whatever huge markup they decide to add for doing nothing more than being legally able to place the order.

chiph 9y ago
I have an interesting NC/SC story - There's a discount wine/liquor store right across the state line from the Carowinds amusement park (in Charlotte). People from North Carolina were driving down and loading up (which is different from "getting loaded"...) their cars to save some money. The NC Alcoholic Beverage Control Board took exception to this (loss of tax revenue, possible blue-law violations, etc.) and sent one of their officers down there. He sat in the parking lot and would radio the license plates of cars with North Carolina tags that he observed buying large quantities of booze on to a team of agents waiting on I-77. Who would then pull the buyers over and charge them with bootlegging. The South Carolina Highway Patrol got wind of this and sent several officers to the parking lot to explain to the North Carolina revenuer the concept of jurisdiction, and how he was out of his.
- huehehue 9y ago
  The fact that interstate bootlegging is something that even exists blows my mind. Feels like the states are all part of the same system until you hit stuff like archaic blue laws, marijuana laws, abortion laws, auto insurance, and (recently) gay marriage. Those are all important things, and it's pretty frustrating not to have the same rights in some states as I do in others. I'm surprised (but glad) there aren't state border crossing stops yet. This is small stuff like getting wine and fireworks across state lines, I can't begin to imagine how someone who needs an abortion must feel about it.
  - CocaKoala 9y ago
    > there aren't state border crossing stops yet Actually, funny story, when I was driving from Seattle to California a few years back, we got stopped around the Oregon-California border for a checkpoint. They ask questions to make sure you aren't importing fruits or plant matter that might be carrying pests non-native to the area (think "emerald ash borer" if you aren't sure what they're looking for). Anyways, I didn't realize what was happening for a moment, and thought it was a toll road. It was a very awkward moment when I tried to hand the guy some cash as he walked up to my window.
- busterarm 9y ago
  Awesome story...and I think I know the exact discount liquor store you're talking about, too...
mitchty 9y ago
So I just had a quick run to my favorite sake site, it looks like I can still order sake (I ordered a Junmai Ginjo). Interestingly North Dakota (random state that can ship wine) can't get sake shipped. I wonder if sake qualifies as something else like beer. Its brewed the same way basically, so perhaps the laws are restricted to grape wines only?
- busterarm 9y ago
  My mead distributor hasn't updated their site to reflect the new enforcement either. I wouldn't chance it as they may run into problems once it's time to ship. Or I'd stock up a ton now. As for me, I think I'm about to start producing my own mead anyway.
  - mitchty 9y ago
    It sucks because getting good sake in the midwest is... hard at best. Every place that has sake has no friggin clue how to even know if something is good. Stocking up like crazy will only work so long, and making sake isn't exactly something I'd try, even given how close it is to regular beer fermentation. I ordered a single small bottle, so even if it gets held up its not as big of a deal, I hope. Time to go call my legislature and tell them to fix the bill or I vote for the other team again out of spite.