If you’re a small distiller wondering whether you can ship spirits directly to customers, here’s the shortest answer: probably not. However, because of the usual state-by-state patchwork of liquor laws, there’s an awful lot of complexity packed into “probably.” There are also signs that restrictions may ease—if gradually—in the years to come.
A quick disclaimer: We can’t offer you legal advice—be sure to talk to a lawyer, who can be more specific about your local situation; also check in with other distillers in your state. However, we can broadly describe the current situation for direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping as we know it in the United States and Canada, so that you can at least determine whether this is a path that may be open to your business.
One of the first things to understand is that many customers clearly want to be able to order spirits directly to their homes. Sovos ShipCompliant—a company that provides online tools to help beverage producers navigate the complexities of state shipping laws—recently commissioned a survey of American spirits drinkers for its 2023 Direct to Consumer Spirits Shipping Report, released in late October. Conducted by Harris Poll in cooperation with the American Craft Spirits Association, the survey found that 87 percent of regular spirits drinkers say they want to legally order craft spirits for delivery to their homes. That’s up from 80 percent the year before.