From the VA ABC website:
ABC Tasting Events
In keeping with our mission to provide excellent customer service, Virginia ABC is proud to present tasting events at store locations across the state, allowing customers to sample select products before making a purchase. Each sample is limited to ½ ounce of distilled spirits, with a maximum of three samples per person, or up to a total of five ounces of wine. Please check back each week for new event postings.
ABC projects that approximately 240 tasting events will be held each month at select store locations. During the first year of tasting events, more than 2,850 tasting were held at approximately 195 ABC store locations. Tastings are mainly held on Fridays and Saturdays.
As required by law, a person must be 21 years of age to participate in an ABC store tasting or to purchase alcoholic beverages.
So the ABC Stores now are on Twitter and Facebook. How neat. The Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beveridge Control is truly a cash cow for Virginia. Yet Governor Bob McDonnell still wants to sell the ABC Stores to private industry. That makes NO sense at all. In fact, according to WTOP News:
Since July 1, 2010, nearly 90 Virginia ABC stores have been offering tasting events, allowing customers to sample select products.
Each ABC tasting lasts two hours. Liquor vendors choose the location and can sample up to three different products, says Philip Bogenberger with Va. ABC.
Each sample is limited to 1/2 an ounce of distilled spirits or five ounces of wine, with a maximum of three samples a person. The liquor must already be sold in a Virginia ABC store.
“It’s more for the customer service aspect of it, to be able to allow people to have the opportunity to sample new products so when they’re walking through a store if they see that product they’ll think about buying that or trying something new because they’ve already tasted it,” Bogenberger says.
And sales are up at the Va. ABC. Gross sales in fiscal 2011 were $692 million, which is up from $675 million in fiscal 2010.
Tastings have been allowed in government stores since Virginia Senate Bill 26 was adopted last year.
Hopefully, Virginia will maintain control of its ABC Stores and that McDonnell will get over his obsession of privatizing the liquor stores. Most Virginians support their state stores. The tasting parties sound very modern for a conservative state like Virginia. I can’t believe it actually got through the Delegate Assembly.
NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT INFORMATION! FORGET ALL THAT BUDGET STUFF!
WOOHOO! I know where I’m going tomorrow.
Booze paid for by taxes! At least we’re getting something for our money, for once!
Personally, I like the idea of private liquor stores, but its not a priority for me.
My only complaint is that it seems to be mainly vodka and tequila tastings. I want whiskey!
Heh. Complaining about free booze. Sometimes I just kill me….
I figured everyone might need it. Plus, a watched pot never boils.
I think you missed the Wild Turkey taster test.
I am trying to figure out what you mean by booze paid for by taxes. The taxes aren’t paying for the liquor testing. That is done by distributors, if I read the article correctly.
You gotta love a state that encourages alcohol consumption. I dig it.
The flaw in your argument is that the ABC store does not encourage alcohol consumption. They do not advertize at all. They do not promote one liquor over the other. Show me encouragement. They provide it and regulate it. Even the distributors and manufacturers hold the taste tests.
There is less ‘encouragement’ in Virginia than there is in Maryland and DC that have privatized liquor stores.
Lafayette is going to get you.
Revunes were up in 2010 from 2009. With revenue like the ABC rakes in, why on earth would the state want to turn these over to the private sector? It’s no secret, I don’t want privatized liquor stores in Va.. I wish I’d taken a picture of the ridiculous 7-11 sign in WVa. early this month.
Oh, thank heaven….
Liquor sold here.
About a month ago, while at a stop light on 234 at WestGate Shopping Center, a car motioned for me to roll the window down. I thought they wanted directions to get somewhere. They wanted to know where to buy liquor. I pointed to the red ABC sign in the shopping center. They looked surprised and told me that’s now how it is in Maryland. Well, this Virginia girl politely reminded them that they were in Va. and we had a state ran stores. This is NOT Md. or DC!!
@Cargosquid
Moon’s right. You did indeed miss the wild turkey tasting. I’m going to see if our ABC store is hosting any of these tastings. 🙂
Whe my husband and I first saw the ABC sign, we thought it was a toy store.
It was a toy store, for some people 😉
A program of attraction, not promotion…sounds familiar.
The VA ABC brings in just under $700 million bucks to the Old Dominion. That is $700 million we aren’t expected to pony up in the way of taxes and fees.
“The flaw in your argument is that the ABC store does not encourage alcohol consumption.”
I think that’s like saying the Post Office doesn’t encourage people to use/buy stamps. They just offer them for sale.
And the flaw there is that you need to buy stamps to use mailing services. NO one has to buy booze for any reason. In fact, its probably been a good 10 years since I have been in an ABC Store.
@marinm
Or like saying that 31,000 gun deaths a year have no relationship to the NRA. They just say any effort to regulate firearms will be the end of civilization.
@Morris Davis
Does the NRA pull the trigger? You would give a criminal a pass and lay the blame on the NRA?
If you or MH can’t see that the state makes money on alcohol sales and thus it’s in it’s best interest to make more sales to drive revenue then nothing I say will change that.
I never said that the state didn’t make money on booze. I applauded them for doing so.
You are not able to show me where they are encouraging the use of alcohol.
Now, would a private company encourage the use of alcohol? You had better believe it. There would be ads all over the place and flashing neon signs.
I have never seen alcohol promoted by the state and I have lived in Virginia many decades. If it exists, time to show me…otherwise, it doesn’t exist.
I’m picturing Virginia’s best and brightest lined up at the door waiting for a MD20/20 and Boone’s tasting.
“Which do you prefer, sir?”
“We have Night Train Express, Wild Irish Rose, a vintage Thunderbird, and a lovely Cisco”
“Sir?…….Sir?……”
“He fell down”
@Slow, I hope they have better than Thunderbird. shudder!!!! How about some MD 20?
I see you mentioned mad dog. Sorry. What was that nasty strawberry stuff called?
@Morris Davis
Soooo, you’re saying that the thousands of alcohol deaths are related to the ABC stores? Because we banned Prohibition.
Moon,
“Here. Taste this.”
Now THAT’S encouragement…….
NASTY? That strawberry stuff is Boone’s Farm! Nectar of the Gods for those of us that can remember those drunken nights back in the early 80’s……and maybe 1978-9 before I turned 18. You could buy it (or have someone buy it for you.) at the local TimeSaver (predecessor to 7-11.)
Those were GREAT parties! Passing the bottle around…..passing other things around……mmmmm…..good times…..
Boone’s farm would be it. It was dreadful. I never got that desparate but once. And it was a long time before the 80’s. Not gonna say how much longer …just longer.
No TimeSavers up here that I can recall.
No, having tastings isn’t encouragement in that setting. Costco yes. ABC Store, no. They aren’t allowed to lure you over. It is inside and those inside are there to purchase spirits. The ‘audience’ is a bit more esoteric.