When the Maine legislature ignored Gov. Paul LePage and voted to add a 5-cent deposit to miniature bottles of liquor, called “nips,” LePage declared he would pull them from the shelves of state stores.
But the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages & Lottery Operations rejected the plan after a public hearing. One voter called the governor’s reaction “childish.” A store operator told the agency the bottles represent $700,000 in gross annual sales at his stores and support 124 fulltime and 30 part-time jobs at Sazerac’s Lewiston plant.
The small bottles litter Maine’s roadways. “By selling spirits in 50 mil containers, we’re making it too easy for consumers to violate the law”, said Greg Mineo, Director of the Bureau of Alcoholic Beverages and Lottery Operations.