The bill amends Section 3-7-4.1 of the General Laws in Chapter 3-7 entitled "Retail Licenses" to allow holders of retail Class A licenses to conduct wine, beer, and distilled spirit samplings inside their licensed premises. The amendment specifies that these sample tastings can be offered at no charge to the consumer and outlines the limits on the quantity of each type of alcohol that can be sampled: one-ounce servings for wine (up to four products), one-ounce servings for beer (up to two products), and one-quarter-ounce servings for distilled spirits (up to two products). The bill also stipulates that wine, beer, and distilled spirit samplings cannot be conducted simultaneously on the same premises, and each consumer is limited to one sample tasting of each product.

Additionally, the bill introduces a new provision allowing licensees to serve unlimited samples of wine products during the month of August, in addition to the existing allowance for such events in March and November. It also requires that food samplings be provided at no charge during the tastings of wine and beer, and that these food samplings not be sold afterward. The bill restricts the promotion of sampling events to the licensed premises and prohibits wholesalers, manufacturers, suppliers, or any other entities from participating or providing services or value in conjunction with the samplings. The bill would take effect upon passage and adds the month of August to the dates when unlimited free samples of wine, beer, and distilled spirits products can be offered by Class A retail alcoholic beverage establishments.

Statutes affected:
2698: 3-7-4.1