Happy hour, cocktails to-go bill makes splash at Indiana Statehouse
The bill would allow retailers to reduce drink prices for up to four hours a day, but less than 15 hours in a week. Happy hours wouldn’t be allowed between 10 p.m. and 3 a.m.
Alcohol sales
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Beer, liquor wholesalers face off over mixed drinks legislation
The House Committee on Public Policy advanced a bill Tuesday letting beer wholesalers sell liquor-based ready-to-drink cocktails, over the protests of liquor industry representatives.
Scarlet Lane Brewing to close two of five locations
Scarlet Lane Brewing announced Monday plans to close tap rooms in the Meridian-Kessler and Kennedy-King neighborhoods.
Ash & Elm Cider Co. planning expansion into Carmel with restaurant, tasting room
Ash & Elm’s planned 3,500-square-foot location, part of a multi-phase development by Carmel-based Old Town Cos., will be the company’s second restaurant and tasting room when it opens in spring 2024.
New Indianapolis whiskey producer cites barrels as key to flavor
Fortune’s Fool, an Indianapolis-based spirits company led by former anesthesiologist Juliet Schmalz, debuted this month in liquor stores, restaurants and bars.
New vodka brand features Indiana-themed name and pickle twist
Indianapolis-based sales engineer T.J. Marsh plans to begin production of Hoosa Vodka this month in the Holy Cross neighborhood.
Hard Truth, Mellencamp Whiskey call partnership a ‘no-brainer’
Brown County’s Hard Truth Distilling Co., in partnership with the recently founded Mellencamp Whiskey Co., is releasing a new whiskey collection specifically celebrating and supporting Hoosier farmers.
Craft brewery King Jugg plans Broad Ripple production site
The brewery will take over part of a former auto body repair shop to produce beverages sold at King Jugg’s Fishers location.
Doughnuts & Dragons going out of business
The artisanal doughnut shop and taproom that opened in 2019 on the north side of Indianapolis plans to close permanently at the end of the month, it announced Thursday night.
Some see ghosts in the Field of Dreams. Drew Storen saw bourbon.
Drew Storen, the former star pitcher at Brownsburg High School, has found a new line of work after Major League Baseball—running his Carmel-based business, Field of Dreams Whiskey Co.
Chilly Water Brewing plans Greenwood location
Chilly Water is targeting a late-August opening in a 1,200-square-foot space that adds a Johnson County location to two existing spots in Indianapolis..
Heath Outdoor owners plan brewery and distillery near Box Factory
Heath Outdoor is billing their new-look campus, which includes Digs Garden Center, as The Yard at North Mass.
Bud Light, top U.S. seller since 2001, loses sales crown after backlash
Mexican lager Modelo Especial overtook Bud Light in U.S. retail dollar sales in the month ending June 3.
Hotel Tango Distillery closing tasting rooms in Zionsville, Fort Wayne
Hotel Tango Distillery’s Fort Wayne location that opened in 2020 and a Zionsville location that opened in 2021 are closing.
Indiana-based Oliver Winery planning $12.6M expansion
The winery said new products such as the Melon Mint Moscato, along with its mainstays like Oliver Sweet Red, have fueled the company’s continued growth.
Opponents say mixed beverage bill could raise prices for consumers
A bill letting beer wholesalers cash in on lucrative liquor-based drinks would “expand their monopolistic advantage” and hike prices for consumers, argues a leading wine and liquor organization.
Wholesalers battle over bill on mixed beverages like White Claw, Truly
Mixed alcoholic beverages like hard seltzers have exploded in popularity, and wholesalers all want a piece of the pie. Senate Bill 1544 would open sales to all wholesale types—and has already reopened industry squabbles over who gets to sell what.
As bourbon booms, thirst for rare brands breeds skullduggery
The best bourbons are buttery, smooth and oaky, and a growing cult of aficionados is willing to pay an astonishing sum to score even a shot of these premium spirits. Some are even willing to bend or break laws.
Liquor store ownership group builds 60-store business of varied brands
Indiana Liquor Group has been acquiring stores in small cities and towns since 2019 and typically leaves the business names unchanged.
Liquor before beer: Spirits beat brews in new market data
After years of steady growth, it marked the first time that spirit supplier revenues have surpassed beer—but just barely, the spirit industry group said.