After first launching in New York and Vermont, “Ship My Spirits,” the grassroots coalition with the common goal of modernizing the spirits marketplace by allowing direct-to-consumer shipping of distilled spirits, has expanded to Delaware.
“Nearly every day we tell potential customers we cannot ship them our spirits,” said Dr. Ron Gomes, Painted Stave Distilling. “Thus, Delaware law restricts our ability to win new customers, grow our small business, as well as those businesses that support us.”
The Delaware Senate Banking, Business and Insurance Committee will hear SB 285 in the coming weeks, a bill to permanently allow distillers to ship their spirits products directly to adult consumers.
“Direct shipping is a critical step to secure the future of our industry,” said Margie A.S. Lehrman, CEO of the American Craft Spirits Association. “Not only do we know we can do this safely and responsibly as evidenced by the success of wine dtc shipping in states across the country, but we have also seen how direct shipping has created an important lifeline for our community of craft producers who are currently facing so many small business challenges, from tourism declines due to COVID, the rising costs of grains, to global glass supply shortages.”
“Consumers want distilled spirits shipped straight from the distillery to their doorbell, and that’s the goal of the ‘Ship My Spirits’ campaign,”said Chris Swonger, president/CEO, Distilled Spirits Council of the U.S. “Direct-to-consumer laws in Delaware need to be modernized to increase consumer choice, build small businesses and tourism, and create an on-ramp to distribution for new products. Allowing distillers, large and small, to direct ship supports consumers, producers, wholesalers and retailers which continues our support of the three-tier system.”