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The Illinois Legislature is considering two bills, House Bill
3160 and Senate Bill 2069, that would allow distillers to ship
their liquor products directly to adult consumers just as
wineries have done for more than three decades in the state.
The American Craft Spirits Association, American Distilling
Institute and Distilled Spirits Council of the United States
have joined the Illinois group to launch the “Ship My Spirits”
campaign.
Nick Nagele, vice president of the Illinois Craft Distillers
Association, said state laws are outdated because his industry
is relatively young.
“There were zero craft distilleries in the state of Illinois
until the mid-2000s and today there is about 50, so we as
distillers and our customers and consumers just haven’t had a
chance to really establish the need and make enough noise and
tell the story that this is something we want,” Nagele told The
Center Square.
The spirits industry supports nearly 80,000 jobs in Illinois and
has an economic impact of over $7.8 billion, according to the
coalition.
“Allowing direct-to-consumer shipping for spirits in Illinois
will drive consumer interest, which will support the growing
craft distilling industry in the state,” said Eric Owens,
president of ADI. “Further, the marketplace has changed, and
consumers have grown accustomed to spirits DTC shipping. The
‘Ship My Spirits’ campaign provides a quick and easy way for
consumers to get involved and let their voice be heard in the
legislature.”
ShipMySpirits.org, the coalition’s website, has an interactive
map where consumers can click on their state to learn more about
the laws regulating spirits shipments and other data related to
the spirit industry’s impact in the state.
Kevin Bessler reports on statewide issues in
Illinois for the Center Square. He has over 30 years of
experience in radio news reporting throughout the Midwest.
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