Kentucky alcohol regulators want to limit individuals from selling more than 24 vintage spirits per year, according to proposed regulations designed to flesh out the Commonwealth’s new Vintage Spirits Act.  Regulators published the proposed regulations yesterday and public hearings will soon follow.

The Act made it legal for individuals to sell vintage spirits to licensed alcohol sellers, which were defined as spirits no longer in distribution. The Act received widespread appeal from spirits enthusiasts, especially me. I am building vintage menus and developing vintage libraries. Check out my vintage library at the Bardstown Bourbon Company.

In addition to the cap, the proposed regulations include a requirement that alcohol licensees must place a conspicuous sticker that states “Vintage Distilled Spirit” on the bottle and sellers must be at least 21 years old. The on or off-premise retailer purchasing the spirits must also collect the following from the seller to report to the government: name, address, date of purchase, number of packages sold, previous purchases from seller and brand name. The transactions must also take place “in person at its licensed premises,” the amendment proposal said.

Due to per year bottle maximum and effectively banning shipping for these transactions, these new amendments will keep people from building large scale vintage operations in which they buy and trade personally and then sell directly to a Kentucky licensee.

A public hearing on the proposed regulations has been tentatively set for July 25, 2018 at the Kentucky ABC.