Just what are the local liquor laws anyway ???

All,

I've been reading some of the posts on this forum ("Wine sales in grocery stores", etc) and have come away confused. Just what are the local liquor laws anyway ? We'll be living in Oldham Co. which I am told is "moist"(a term we're not familiar with). Does that mean we have to go to J.C. to buy beer and wine over the counter ? I recall ordering a beer at a restaraunt in La Grange, is this limited to just a few establishments ?

BTW, we stumbled across the "Liquor Barn" on one of our visits...whoa !!!!...Party central, ya think ?

Confused would be a mild condition, Steve. Currently we have 54 out of 120 counties that are "dry" meaning sales of alcohol is forbidden. I'm not sure of the breakdown of "moist". Here in Oldham County we are "moist" which is a odd invention that seems to suit the populace here so far. Liquor is sold in restaurants that sell food in a formula based on number of seats/percentage of food served/geographical alignment of premise/sun setting azimuth hitting the northern corner of the building...............where was I? Anyway, Jefferson County is right next door with a plethora of drink options for purchase so no worries. Looking forward to meeting you and your bride, have a safe journey out of exile.


edited once to remove a wholly speculative statement on my part.

Anyway, Jefferson County is right next door with a plethora of drink options for purchase so no worries.

Unless it's Sunday morning, when we should all be in church and not polluting ourselves with the Devil's Drink.

Anyway, Jefferson County is right next door with a plethora of drink options for purchase so no worries.

Unless it's Sunday morning, when we should all be in church and not polluting ourselves with the Devil's Drink.

You might also want to keep in mind that you can't purchase any "Evil Firewater" between the hours of 4 A.M. to 6 A.M....I found that out when I tried to purchase a six pack of beer (after working a third shift) at 5:30 inside a local grocery store ...

Ed has a lot of the idiosyncrasies covered in his summary. And to answer your question, yes, you'll need to go to Jefferson (or another wet) county to buy liquor and wine over the counter.

There is one point though that is little off the mark...

... The wine in the grocery store thing is about the powerful beer and distributor lobby keeping the playing field wholly tilted in their favor. Money talks and many hands are in the till.

Now I know that this is a popular sentiment around these parts and one that certain people have a history of propagating but it really is unfounded. I think everyone should slow down the rumor mongering unless they have the all the facts. What most people don't know is that, unlike most states, Kentucky has 2 distinct beer wholesaler associations. One (the KMBC) is comprised exclusively of A-B distributors, the other (the KBWA) consists of a few independent operators. I can't speak for the KMBC but I do know that the KBWA did not take a stance on the wine in grocery issue. They were neither for it nor against it and certainly didn't lobby "to keep the playing field tilted". To lump everyone together into some type of nefarious being intent on limiting consumer choice seems pretty misleading to me. Now if someone is aware of specific action by the KMBC then they should note it as such. And really, I'd love to hear about it.

Ed has a lot of the idiosyncrasies covered in his summary. And to answer your question, yes, you'll need to go to Jefferson (or another wet) county to buy liquor and wine over the counter.

There is one point though that is little off the mark...

... The wine in the grocery store thing is about the powerful beer and distributor lobby keeping the playing field wholly tilted in their favor. Money talks and many hands are in the till.

Now I know that this is a popular sentiment around these parts and one that certain people have a history of propagating but it really is unfounded. I think everyone should slow down the rumor mongering unless they have the all the facts. What most people don't know is that, unlike most states, Kentucky has 2 distinct beer wholesaler associations. One (the KMBC) is comprised exclusively of A-B distributors, the other (the KBWA) consists of a few independent operators. I can't speak for the KMBC but I do know that the KBWA did not take a stance on the wine in grocery issue. They were neither for it nor against it and certainly didn't lobby "to keep the playing field tilted". To lump everyone together into some type of nefarious being intent on limiting consumer choice seems pretty misleading to me. Now if someone is aware of specific action by the KMBC then they should note it as such. And really, I'd love to hear about it.

I'll stand corrected on the KBWA, Ryan. Thanks for that intel.

in kentucky
wine can't be sold in grocery stores
liquor can't be sold in grocery stores (am i right about this one?)
cold beer can be sold in convenience stores as well as cold wine i believe (no liquor though)

in indiana
everything is available in the grocery store (except on sunday)
no cold beer in the convenience stores, cold wine though, no liquor
no cold soda in the liquor stores (no cold chocolate either, wierd)

beer can be given away in indiana for tasting purposes, not so in kentucky

in kentucky
wine can't be sold in grocery stores
liquor can't be sold in grocery stores (am i right about this one?)
cold beer can be sold in convenience stores as well as cold wine i believe (no liquor though)


beer can be given away in indiana for tasting purposes, not so in kentucky

Wine cannot be sold in grocery stores. Some places have a separate entrance for a liquor store.
Liquor cannot be sold in grocery stores. Same as above
Wine cannot be sold in convenience stores.

Unless it's Sunday morning, when we should all be in church and not polluting ourselves with the Devil's Drink.[/quote]

I would rather be drinking a cold beer at brunch at the Bristol than polluting my mind in some church. I respect you if you want to do the church thing, but I don't think that you should be trying to impose your beliefs on me by some stupid law.

Exactly why should I be in church on Sunday morning?

Jimmy Buffet says, "There is a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning!"

Hey - this discussion sure is timely. Tune in to State of Affairs on Wednesday, July 23rd when our topic is Kentucky and Indiana Liquor Laws. We were chatting one day at lunch and realized maybe our listeners were as confused and befuddled as us - and so a show is born. (11:00 am - repeats at 9:00 pm - 89.3 FM)

I would rather be drinking a cold beer at brunch at the Bristol than polluting my mind in some church. I respect you if you want to do the church thing, but I don't think that you should be trying to impose your beliefs on me by some stupid law.

Exactly why should I be in church on Sunday morning?

If you're asking me personally, your sarcasm detector is broken. If you're just screaming to the masses, I'm right behind you, brother.

in kentucky
wine can't be sold in grocery stores
liquor can't be sold in grocery stores (am i right about this one?)
cold beer can be sold in convenience stores as well as cold wine i believe (no liquor though)

beer can be given away in indiana for tasting purposes, not so in kentucky

Folks,

OK...so let me see if I've got this right. In Olham Co. I can be out cutting the grass, work up a sweat and then quickly run down to the 7-11 store and pick up a cold six pack. After I'm done with the yard and get cleaned up we can drive into La Grange for a bite to eat at the Irish Rover Two...where I can enjoy a beer or cocktail (or both). Then since we've got people coming over that night, Becky...being the designated driver can drive the two of us down to Springhurst to the Liquor Barn where we can buy anything except cold wine...So we take all this stuff home to the party but around 11:50pm we realize we are out of beer...So we run (walk...OK stumble) back down to the 7-11 but we CAN'T buy cold beer because it's now 12:01am on Sunday. So now we're in a real pickle because it's Sunday...the big game is on and we have no beer. So we pile in the car and drive to Indiana where we can buy cold beer and hot wine.

Man, I dunno about all of this...Seems like you folks do a lot of drinking

As long as the 7-11 in over the county line in Jefferson County.....

in kentucky
wine can't be sold in grocery stores
liquor can't be sold in grocery stores (am i right about this one?)
cold beer can be sold in convenience stores as well as cold wine i believe (no liquor though)

beer can be given away in indiana for tasting purposes, not so in kentucky

Folks,

OK...so let me see if I've got this right. In Olham Co. I can be out cutting the grass, work up a sweat and then quickly run down to the 7-11 store and pick up a cold six pack. After I'm done with the yard and get cleaned up we can drive into La Grange for a bite to eat at the Irish Rover Two...where I can enjoy a beer or cocktail (or both). Then since we've got people coming over that night, Becky...being the designated driver can drive the two of us down to Springhurst to the Liquor Barn where we can buy anything except cold wine...So we take all this stuff home to the party but around 11:50pm we realize we are out of beer...So we run (walk...OK stumble) back down to the 7-11 but we CAN'T buy cold beer because it's now 12:01am on Sunday. So now we're in a real pickle because it's Sunday...the big game is on and we have no beer. So we pile in the car and drive to Indiana where we can buy cold beer and hot wine.

Man, I dunno about all of this...Seems like you folks do a lot of drinking

You've ALMOST got it.

There's no "cold wine" prohibition in Liquor Barn or any other retail package store. Plus, package stores are open on Sunday from 1pm-9pm. I'm speaking of the rules that apply in Jefferson County.
While it's true that beer cannot be sampled for "free", the reality is that beer is sampled at a nominal price that covers cost and, thus, keeps the sampling legal.

What fun!

Welcome to the area and I'm glad you enjoyed the Barn.

Roger Leasor
Liquor Barn