In this Sept. 14, 2017 photo, Brandon Howard, a cofounder of Amalga Distillery, left, serves mixed drinks to Nick Thein and Terra Veler at the distillery’s tasting room at Franklin and Second Streets. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

In this Sept. 14, 2017 photo, Brandon Howard, a cofounder of Amalga Distillery, left, serves mixed drinks to Nick Thein and Terra Veler at the distillery’s tasting room at Franklin and Second Streets. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Legislature to take public testimony on distillery cocktails

The House Community and Regional Affairs Committee will hear public testimony at 10 a.m. Saturday about a proposal to allow distilleries to serve cocktails as part of their two-drink limit. The proposal is House Bill 269, sponsored by Rep. Chris Tuck, D-Anchorage.

As part of regulations passed last week by the Alaska Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, distilleries are no longer allowed to serve mixed drinks. They are allowed to provide mixers and alcohol, but buyers must mix the drinks themselves; distillery employees can’t mix drinks.

The regulation was a result of an ambiguous law passed by the Legislature in 2014. That law allowed distilleries to open tasting rooms that serve drinks to customers. Tasting rooms operate under strict limits, including a ban on entertainment and a two-drink maximum. Distilleries believed the language of that law allowed cocktails, but the Alaska Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office has a different interpretation that prohibits it.

The regulation approved last week by the board confirms AMCO’s interpretation.

HB 269 modifies the 2014 law to affirm that distilleries may serve cocktails. If approved by the community and regional affairs committee, it would advance to the House Labor and Commerce committee chaired by Rep. Sam Kito III, D-Juneau.

If approved in that committee, it would advance to the House floor and — if approved there — to the Senate.


• Contact reporter James Brooks at james.k.brooks@juneauempire.com or call 523-2258.


More in News

The Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Encore docks in Juneau in October, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire File)
Ships in Port for t​​he Week of Sept. 23

Here’s what to expect this week.

Visitors look at the Mendenhall Glacier near the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center in August. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Shutdown disruptions would be widespread in Juneau

What the looming federal shutdown could mean for the capital city.

New signs were placed this week to accompany the 12 totem poles raised along Juneau’s downtown waterfront. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
New signs along downtown Totem Pole Trail explain significance of each piece

Details such as meaning of crests carved on totems, clans linked to artists at site and online.

This is a photo of the front page of the Juneau Empire on Sept. 21, 1995. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
Empire Archives: Juneau’s history for the week of Oct. 1

Three decades of capital city coverage.

Snow covers Mount Stroller White, a 5,112-foot peak beside Mendenhall Glacier, with Mount McGinnis seen to the left. (Photo by Laurie Craig)
Rooted in Community: Stroller White — a man and a mountain

One of the most frequently spoken names in Juneau is Stroller White.… Continue reading

A person departs Bartlett Regional Hospital on July 26, a day after a board of directors meeting raised issues about the hospital’s leadership and quality of care, with then-CEO David Keith resigning a week later. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
New Bartlett CEO has lots of experience with mergers, transitions as hospital confronts struggles

Meanwhile former CEO still getting paid for post-resignation ‘transition’ despite leaving the state.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Police calls for Tuesday, Sept. 26, 2023

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

Former Coppa Cafe co-owner Marc Wheeler and current owner Maddie Kombrink smile for a picture at the downtown cafe Wednesday morning. Last week the cafe celebrated its 10-year anniversary in Juneau. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire)
‘It’s a wonderful milestone’: Coppa Cafe celebrates a decade of service in Juneau

Ten years is just the beginning, says current and past owners.

Most Read