November 7, 2025 • 33 mins
How do control systems balance great selection, fair pricing, and public health while still celebrating local flavor? Host Jocelyn Rawat set up in Bethesda at the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association's Administrators Conference with leaders from across the country to share what’s working—from smarter stores and faster delivery to regional spirits and traditions that tell a story. Guests reveal answers to some compelling questions, including: Does Prohibition still influence today's spirits? Which monsters make the best drinks? And who stole the huckleberries?
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Episode Transcript
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Announcer (00:00):
Welcome to Spirited Discussions, a podcast by
Alcohol Beverage Services,exploring alcohol products,
trends, and policies inMontgomery County.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (00:12):
Thanks for joining us.
I'm your host, Jocelyn Rowat.
We're doing something a littledifferent in this episode.
We're recording from theNational Alcohol Beverage
Control Association'sAdministrators Conference, which
this year is being held inBethesda.
And that means thatprofessionals from alcohol
control systems all over thecountry have convened to learn
(00:32):
about new tools and to sharebest practices.
And that makes this the perfectopportunity to get perspectives
on alcohol products, trends,and policies from across the
country.
So we're pleased to welcomelots of guests to this episode
of Spirited Discussions.
And we're going to start withMaggie Barchine, who is the
Director of Communications forthe National Alcohol Beverage
(00:53):
Control Association, which weall affectionately refer to
NABCA.
So hi Maggie.
Hi, how are you?
Good.
So it's really good to be herein Bethesda.
Can you tell us what NABCA is?
Maggie Batchine (01:07):
Okay, so like you said, National Alcohol
Beverage Control Association.
And what all of that means iswe are a trade association,
we're non-advocacy, and werepresent control systems across
the United States.
And so there are 18jurisdictions.
We distinguish withjurisdictions because Montgomery
County is unique in that thestate of Maryland is what is
(01:29):
known as a licensed state or anopen state.
And within Maryland, thecounty, because of the
population that you guys have,um, standalone.
And so you have that statuswith NABCA.
So 18 control systems acrossthe United States.
Not all systems have retail.
So about seven of our membershave a wholesale and a retail
(01:55):
component.
The rest take ownership ofbeverage alcohol at the
wholesale level.
And then they would haveprivate retail stores kind of
sell the product.
But those private stores wouldbuy the product from the state
itself.
So a government agency thattakes ownership of beverage
alcohol in the businesstransaction cycle is kind of how
(02:15):
I define what a control systemis, in addition to how it
relates to NABCA.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (02:20):
All right.
That sounds like a perfectdefinition to me.
Let's see what our colleagueshave to say about it.
Okay, perfect.
Awesome.
All right, it's gonna be fun.
Chip Jones (02:30):
My name's Chip Jones.
I'm with the MississippiDepartment of Revenue, and we
are known as the hospitalitystate.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (02:36):
Hospitality state, then we're in the right
place.
All right.
Well, since you're thehospitality state, tell me, do
you have a good cocktail recipethat is specific to
Mississippi?
We do.
We have a cocktail that'scalled bee sting, which is kind
of like a bee's knees if you'veheard of that cocktail before.
But this one uses a little bitof jalapeno.
So you you take equal partshoney and water, make a syrup
(02:58):
with that, and then you takelemon juice.
We use Cathead vodka.
That's a vodka that's producedin Mississippi.
And then you muddle the lemonjuice with a jalapeno slice, and
then you add it to a shaker andand pour it over ice.
So does it does it taste spicy?
Chip Jones (03:12):
A little bit, but not...
you get a little bit of thesmell and then a little bit on
the on the back end, but it'sthe lemon juice really mellows
it out, so it's verydelicious.
You should try it.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (03:22):
And what what might I want to eat it
with?
Chip Jones (03:24):
I don't know.
The first thing I thought ofwas caramel popcorn for some
reason.
So the sweet and the spicy.
Yeah, yeah, because it's yeah,it gives you just something else
to kind of bring out theflavors in it.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (03:33):
All right.
I feel like I need to come toMississippi.
Thank you, Chip.
Chip Jones (03:36):
All right, thank you.
Tyler Ackerson (03:38):
My name's Tyler Ackerson.
I'm the legislative liaison forthe Iowa Department of Revenue.
The Department of Revenue isresponsible for not only tax
administration in our state, butalcoholic beverage regulation
as well.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (03:53):
Okay.
Well, even though I'm inMontgomery County, I've actually
been to your state because Ilived in your state, but I was
too young to drink alcoholicbeverages.
So I don't remember what Iowansare drinking.
So can you give us a heads up?
Tyler Ackerson (04:04):
Well, I think some would say that the state
alcoholic beverage of choice isBusch Light.
I I don't have the stats to saythat you know we drink the
most, but it's a very popularbeverage.
And I recall an incident in2017, I think, where we one of
(04:25):
our college football teams wasin a bowl game and uh was
traveling, I think it might havebeen in Memphis, and we have
very loyal college footballfans.
Um and they apparently drankthis bar out of B usch Light
entirely.
But you know, that while thatis a popular beverage, I would
(04:48):
say that folks that come toIowa, first of all, folks should
come to Iowa, you know.
I think folks should disregardthe stereotype of us being a
flyover state.
Uh I think we have a lot ofcool things going on that people
would really enjoy.
And and one of those is ournative, what we call native
manufacturing industry.
So our in-state distillers,breweries, and wineries.
(05:12):
They are a fantastic group ofentrepreneurs who are really
doing cool stuff and putting outhigh-quality products that
people not only enjoy, but arealso award-winning.
I mean, we've we've placed inin national competitions or
judging uh panels for thesevarious types of beverages.
(05:32):
So I think and and we also oureconomic development agency
also has a passport.
So you can not only come toIowa very easily, but you can
have it all laid out in thispassport of the different
manufacturers to visit.
So I would encourage people toto come visit us and and give us
a try.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (05:51):
Awesome.
Iowa, a craft beveragedestination.
Thank you, Tyler.
Tyler Ackerson (05:55):
Thank you.
Jackie DeGenova (05:58):
My name is Jackie DeGenova, and I am the
superintendent of the Divisionof Liquor Control in Ohio.
Lorraine Terry (06:04):
Ohio.
Hi, Lorraine Terry, vicepresident of the Jobs Ohio
Beverage System.
I operate publicly as OhioLiquor with the Division of
Liquor Control.
O. H. I.O.
All right, Jackie.
With about a quarter of theU.S.
operating as a controljurisdiction, why do you think
communities are continuing tochoose this model?
Jackie DeGenova (06:25):
So the control model, it's tried and tested.
Every state has a level ofcontrol that's been around since
prohibition, so nearly ahundred years.
And I think consumersunderstand and have come to
value the fact that it'sconsistent, it's reliable, they
(06:46):
understand the messaging of abalance of enforcement, um, a
bare a balance of fair selling,uh, a responsibility messaging
with consumption.
So all of those things thatconsumers understand that they
can rely on with their state, Ithink that's the main reason.
(07:06):
They have the understandingthat someone is out there
regulating the manufacture,distribution, and sale of
alcoholic beverages.
And in addition to that, youknow, making sure that there's a
public health messagingresponsible consumption,
mitigating your risks.
Uh we partner withorganizations.
So I think that is one reasonwhy the community responds.
(07:30):
And it's really the same reasonwhy suppliers respond.
They know that there will befair selling, they know that we
will be a partner to work withthem on legislative issues.
We're all kind of rowing in thesame direction.
Uh we know that the revenuethat's generated from alcohol
sales benefits economicdevelopment and you know taxes.
(07:52):
It may vary by state, but Ithink there's a universal
message there.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (07:56):
I totally agree.
You know, it's absolutelyreliable.
So, Lorraine, what what trendsare you seeing in the alcohol
industry?
Lorraine Terry (08:02):
Yeah, great question.
Um, so I've actually only beenin the industry about 10 years,
and over the past 10 years, Ihave seen a huge amount of
change.
Um, at the conference, here atthe NABCA conference, we've
heard a lot about our currentstruggles, right?
Health and wellness, THC,cannabis, you know, where are
the sales going?
But over the past 10 years, andwhat I've seen in the control
(08:24):
jurisdictions has been a focuson innovation, a focus on
communicating with ourconsumers, on a focus on
partnering with suppliers togrow brands, not just sell
bottles.
I have seen a true focus on howdo we make a control state, a
control jurisdiction current andmodern and right where our
(08:45):
consumer wants us to be.
So the past 10 years has been alot of change in Ohio,
especially.
We've overhauled ourdistribution systems, we've
overhauled the way in which wecommunicate to our consumers.
We launched an app thissummer, first time ever.
So really excited about that.
And again, that's just atestament to those trends.
(09:06):
We are trying to skate wherethe puck is going, I think is
the phrase.
It's where our consumers areheading.
They want to be able to, youknow, find the bottles they want
to find on our shelves whenthey want to find it, and uh in
a way that they want to look forit online, email, physically in
the stores.
So lots of really greatinnovation over the past 10
years.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (09:26):
Yeah, I've been in in this industry about
the same as you, and it'samazing how much has changed in
just that short period of time.
Okay, Ohio, thank you.
Thank you.
Hi, I'm Wendy Gregorio.
I'm from Wyoming.
Wyoming.
Is this your first time comingto Montgomery County?
Wendy Gregorio (09:43):
Yes, I believe I've been through here before,
but I've never actually stoppedin Bethesda proper.
So it's really awesome.
I'm really enjoying my timehere.
It's definitely a paradigmshift from my state.
Wyoming is the least populatedstate in the whole United
(10:05):
States.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (10:06):
So the whole state has fewer people than
Montgomery County, right?
Wendy Gregorio (10:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I believe our populationthis year is like 561,000.
And I think that there's doublethat.
And just for reference, thatmeans uh that we have fewer
people in a state so large thatit could fit Maryland in it
(10:33):
eight times.
Eight times.
Yeah, about 1.1 million here in Montgomery County.
Wow.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (10:36):
Wow.
Okay, so we're we're talkingabout a really big difference.
But that's what makes this fun.
So why do you think that thecontrol model is working so well
in Wyoming?
Wendy Gregorio (10:47):
So as I mentioned, our state is very
large.
It is also very geographicallydiverse.
So we have mountains, we havedeserts, we have plains, and we
have a lot of small retailstores.
Wyoming controls at thewholesale level, and so we sell
(11:08):
to liquor licensees, akaretailers.
And those retailers are all notalways in the easiest locations
to get to, and some of themnever even see a salesperson in
a year.
So the Wyoming Liquor Division,our distribution is pretty
amazing because we bringeverything into our warehouse in
(11:31):
Cheyenne, and then we are ableto offer next day delivery to
all of our liquor licensees, nomatter their location, and they
all get it at the same price,and I'm really proud of that.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (11:44):
Yeah, so that's some nice service for the
wide open spaces.
Wendy Gregorio (11:47):
Yep.
Lori Murphy (11:47):
All right, thank you, Wendy.
Thanks.
Hi, I'm Lori Murphy.
I'm the director of retail forVirginia.
I have been working there for29 years, and I absolutely love
it.
So it's just an amazing companyto work for.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (12:03):
So our neighbor right across the
river. What's new in Virginia?
We launched a new concept storethat's going to improve the
customer experience overall.
It improves our categorysignage, the flow of the store,
it makes it easier to access newitems, grab and go items, and
(12:24):
strike zones.
Um, we're catering to thecustomer, so we do city-related
featured end caps.
So it's all of the distilleriesin that city.
Have fun.
It's so exciting.
Um, a new tasting area that hasa lot of different pieces where
they roll out so that we canhave it throughout the store.
(12:47):
We can actually have twodifferent tasting zones, and we
just keep improving as we go.
Um, we do a lot of differentsafety components and new
features that we're trying toensure our employee and customer
safety throughout our stores,um, as well as showing them our
new education platform.
(13:07):
So we have a rolling deck thatgoes in our store that they can
actually watch and understandwhat a control state is all
about and what our educationplatform is.
Nice. And Virginia's wine country too, so
I bet you have a lot of nicelocal products in your stores.
Lori Murphy (13:23):
We do, absolutely.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (13:24):
Okay.
All right, thank you, Virginia.
Thank you.
David Marvin (13:29):
I'm David Marvin.
I'm from the Michigan LiquorControl Commission.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (13:32):
All right, so if we from Montgomery County
oing to are g come and visitMichigan, what can we expect?
David Marvin (13:36):
Well, I'm going to default to our state motto.
I'm going to only talk about itin English because the Latin is
really hard.
It is "if you seek a pleasantpeninsula, look about you." And
Michigan, if you have everlooked at a map, we look like a
high five, we've got a hand, andI don't know what the other one
is.
We always come with our our twohands, make a wonderful map of
(13:59):
Michigan.
We have amazing things to seein Michigan.
Um we we've got the GreatLakes.
You can there's you're nevertoo far away from water.
We've got places like Detroitand Grand Rapids, metro areas
that are have just amazingthings to see, museums and
history.
But then we have everythingelse.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (14:17):
You know, I remember ... I've been to
Michigan quite a few times.
I was born in Michigan, andwhat I really remember is
swimming in Lake Superior, which, you know, a lot of people do
in that, it's freezing.
David Marvin (14:26):
Well, Lake Superior stays warmer a lot
longer in the year.
Uh a couple years ago, inOctober in Marquette, it was a
90-degree day, which hit arecord.
But Michigan has the winter,wonderful winter sports that we
have (14:40):
snowmobiling and snowshoeing and skiing.
Uh the summer, summer is justamazing with all the you
mentioned uh swimming.
We've got those Great Lakes,and a lot of inland lakes too.
You're never very far fromwater.
We've got backpacking andhiking and biking and all of the
cultural stuff that you cansee, museums and historic spots
(15:01):
that we've got around the uh thestate.
And and the alcohol beverageindustry in Michigan plays
right into that.
We've got a large agritourismindustry in Michigan where it's
it's farm to table.
We've got amazing wineries,we've got distilleries that use
primarily Michigan-based grains,and it's just a fascinating
place to come and see and enjoyand have a good meal, have a
(15:24):
good drink with friends, travelaround and see just all the
amazing things that you can seein the Great Lakes State.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (15:30):
All right, road trip to Michigan.
Thank you so much.
David Marvin (15:33):
We would love to have you there.
Thank you.
John Brady (15:36):
I'm John Brady, I'm from the Oregon Liquor and
Cannabis Commission.
I'm the director ofcommunications.
Uh, fun fact about Oregon isthat our state bird is the
Meadowlark, and we're building anew warehouse in Canby, and
we're calling it ProjectMeadowlark.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (15:49):
Oh, fun.
Okay, so how long have you beenat this organization?
John Brady (15:53):
I've been there, I'm coming up on my first year.
Um, so I've been incommunications for almost two
decades now, but this is thefirst time I've ever done
alcohol and cannabiscommunications, so it's very
new.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (16:04):
Okay, so something we all experience when
we come into this industry iswow, there's a lot of unusual
stuff.
So what's something strangethat you've seen?
John Brady (16:11):
Yeah, so the probably the most interesting
thing was I was maybe a week orso on the job, and the executive
director took me for a tour.
Our offices are located alsowhere our warehouse is, and so
he showed me where the warehouseis.
We actually have twowarehouses, but he showed me
where the warehouse was, and Ihad never realized that all of
the liquor in the state ofOregon is in one place.
And so he took me to where thethe warehouse where it comes in.
(16:35):
And as I tell people, it's likethe end of Indiana Jones, or
the, you know, where they gointo the warehouse and they're
hiding the what is it, thecovenant.
Yeah, and all you see are likeshelves and shelves, and that's
what it is, is like shelves andshelves of liquor, and I still
can't get over that.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (16:51):
Yeah, that's an eye-opening experience.
Okay, so if you're fairly new,then this is also your first
time coming to a NABCAconference.
So have you learned anythinginteresting?
John Brady (16:58):
I have.
I was actually I was luckyenough to be on a panel, and we
talked about the balancingpublic health messaging and also
talking about the enjoyment ofalcohol or the consumption of
alcohol, and where do you findthat balance?
And we had some greatpanelists, and one of the things
I learned is one of thepanelists is from an
(17:18):
organization that does a lot ofwork with influencers on you
know social media and stuff likethat.
We were thinking about doingsome of the same stuff in
Oregon, and it was just reallyinteresting to hear how they
approached those influencers,how they did a lot of research,
and how they actually alsotrained the influencers.
So that was really interesting.
And then the other interestingthing was we had a panelist
(17:40):
from the Center for AlcoholPolicy, and we were talking
about you know, how does theatmosphere, sort of the
political conversation and youknow, fragmentation and
polarization, how does thataffect your communications?
And she talked about how if youactually look at attitudes
about alcohol, Americans aren'tactually polarized.
There's actually a surprisingamount of unity around the
(18:04):
necessity for moderation, theimportance of regulation and
things like that.
So that was really surprisingand I thought really insightful.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (18:11):
Yeah, yeah, it is interesting.
Okay, so since you're fromOregon, you have traveled a very
long way, so thank you forcoming so far, and hopefully
we'll be coming out to Oregonsoon.
John Brady (18:19):
You're more than welcome.
All right, thank you.
Thank you.
Shawn Kelly (18:25):
My name Shawn Kelly, I'm the press secretary
for the Pennsylvania LiquorControl Board.
I've been there for 12 years,and I guess one of my many
claims to fame is I was one ofthe one of the people who was on
camera and on radio the mostduring COVID.
It was like the governor, itwas our Secretary of Health, and
then probably me.
Oh I don't say that to brag,but everybody wanted to know
(18:47):
what was happening with alcohol.
Everybody wanted to know whenare the stores reopening, what
about this curbside pickup,what's going on with the
website.
So yeah, I was I waseverywhere.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (18:57):
Okay, and now we've got you here at our
podcast table.
Shawn Kelly (18:59):
It's my pleasure to be here.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (19:01):
All right.
So Pennsylvania is not too faraway, so we might take a quick
road trip, especially with theholidays coming up.
Uh, what might we drink whilewe're there?
Shawn Kelly (19:08):
Well, you you're picking a good state to go to.
Pennsylvania has such a historywhen it comes to alcoholic
beverages.
William Penn, the the personfor whom Pennsylvania is named,
he planted the first vineyard inthe state in 1683 in
Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was home to a lotof taverns that were responsible
for fomenting some of thedissent that occurred during the
Revolutionary War.
(19:29):
After the Revolutionary War,you have the whiskey rebellion
out in western Pennsylvania.
Farmers there who distilledtheir own products were very
upset with taxation, so they leda little rebellion.
And then one of the things thatPennsylvania is very well known
for is Yingling.
Yingling beer.
1829, Pottsville,Pennsylvania, in the heart of
(19:50):
coal country.
I grew up about 30 minutesaway from from the Yingling
Brewery.
My friends' parents drank it.
I would see it in garages whenI was a kid.
And it was always interestingto me when people in other
states would say, Yingling,where's where's Yingling?
And even now, when I seeYingling go to another state, it
(20:11):
it's big news.
And for me, it's old hat.
It's just that's coal region,Pennsylvania.
So one of the other things thatPennsylvania's Coal Region has
given is uh something calledBoilo.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (20:22):
Okay.
Shawn Kelly (20:22):
Which is Boil plus the letter O.
So it's Boilo.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (20:27):
Yeah.
I wanted to pronounce itdifferently.
There you go.
Shawn Kelly (20:30):
That's okay.
That's all right.
Um, just don't do it therebecause you might get laughed
out of the fire hall.
It's whiskey, a blendedwhiskey, and then you add in
stuff.
Citrus, generally lemon ororange, probably the peel, but
some people do it differentways.
Water or ginger ale or some mixthereof.
(20:51):
Then spices like cloves orcinnamon or allspice or
cardamom.
Uh, and then it it goes oh, andhoney.
You can't forget the honey.
You put it in a pot, you put iton the stove, you bring it up
to a boil.
Boilo.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (21:06):
Okay.
Um it doesn't explode, does it?
Shawn Kelly (21:10):
Uh there have been instances if the pot boils over
and you have the whiskey go intothe flame that it could
combust.
It's interesting because thisis such a a Pennsylvania thing.
Um, I generally don't plugproducts and we generally don't
pr plug products at the PLCB.
But if you're making Boilo theright way, you have to use a
particular type of whiskey.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (21:31):
Okay.
Shawn Kelly (21:32):
It's called Four Queens.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (21:33):
And that's local?
Shawn Kelly (21:35):
It's not.
It's from well, it's fromPhiladelphia.
It's not Schuylkill County, butit's we in our in our Coal
Region stores, we will put out apallet of Four Queens to buy.
Uh we sell one-fifth of theamount that we sell for the
entire year for the entire statein one county in Pennsylvania
(21:58):
in two months.
That tells you how popular FourQueens is when it comes to
making this product.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (22:04):
And what does it taste like?
Shawn Kelly (22:06):
Well, it depends on whose you whose you try, and
this is where things getinteresting.
You could find recipes online,you could you could kind of mess
around with it and figure itout.
People have their own recipes,and they are very, very, very
protective of those recipes.
Because there are competitions.
You know, a fire hall will havea boilo competition on a
(22:27):
Saturday, and they'll havedifferent samples for people to
taste, and then theydecide which one they say which
ones they like, and yeah, it'sit's very competitive.
I can't wait for a taste test.
Yeah, I can tell you a boilo is believed to have
medicinal properties.
Like a hot toddy.
You serve it as hot as you candrink it.
(22:48):
I can tell you that one timewhen I was sick and I was going
to a holiday gathering, I didn'twant to go.
They're like, we'll have boilo.
Uh okay.
They poured me a mug of boilo,and uh it went down real hot.
Real hot.
And I needed transportationhome because please drink
(23:08):
responsibly.
Um but by the next morning,sinuses were clear, the phlegm
was clear, it really did kind ofwork all the way through the
system.
It does, it does have thisamazing thing.
I don't know if it's acombination of the alcohol and
the honey or the citrus, butwhatever it is, it works magic
on your system.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (23:27):
All right.
The next time I have a cold,it'll be a road trip to
Pennsylvania.
you, Shawn.
Shawn Kelly (23:32):
Sure.
Dacia English (23:34):
Hi, my name Dacia English.
I am with the State of Montana,Department of Revenue Cannabis
and Alcohol Regulation Division.
Host Jocelyn Ra (23:43):
Welcome Dacia.
I hear that there is a liquorthat is quite delicious that is
specific to Montana. Did did Ihear correctly?
Dacia English (23:49):
Yes, actually, it is so delicious.
It is a huckleberry whiskey,and it is made by one of our
local distilleries up by GlacierNational Park.
And what they have to do isthey have to go out and handpick
all of the huckleberries thatthey use for this whiskey every
single year.
And granted, huckleberry seasonis only July through like July
(24:13):
15th through September 15th.
So depending on when they'reripe and when they're, you know,
they have to figure out whenthey need to go out, and they
have to avoid the competitiontoo, which are bears.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (24:27):
Oh.
I wasn't expecting that.
Okay, and then what do they dowith it?
Dacia English (24:34):
Then they mash it and then they put it in with
the whiskey, and then theybasically flavor it with the
actual berries.
And then they bottle it.
Host (24:46):
That sounds delicious. And do they normally drink it
straight or do they...
is it usually with a mixer?
It's both. Yeah. You can use a mixer. You can do it straight. I do it straight.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (24:55):
Neat.
All right.
Well, I'm glad that folks arepicking the huckleberries for me
because I don't want to competewith the bears, but it sounds
wonderful.
Okay.
Thank you so much.
Dacia English (25:04):
Thank you.
EJ Powers (25:06):
Hi, I'm EJ Powers.
I'm a spokesman for the NewHampshire Liquor Commission from
the "live free or die" state ofNew Hampshire.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (25:13):
Okay.
Hi, welcome, EJ.
Um, so we talked earlier aboutabout a quarter of the country
is actually in a controljurisdiction.
So why do you think thatcommunities are still making
this choice and why is itworking for them?
EJ Powers (25:28):
I think it's the public benefit.
So New Hampshire justcelebrated its 90th anniversary.
Uh we launched a year-longcampaign, 90 years of cheers.
Uh, and we've been providingcustomers with an unbe
unbeatable selection of productsat some of the lowest prices in
the country uh for that time.
And what's most important isthat um over the course of 90
years, we've generated over 4.7billion dollars uh that's gone
(25:52):
back to the state.
That's a lot of money.
Yeah, to help support essentialstate services.
So very proud of the work we dowhile also offering customers
just uh an incredible selectionof products.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (26:02):
Okay, so so considering where you are
geographically, what's yourwhat's your customer base like?
EJ Powers (26:08):
So we have 12 million customers that visit
from across North America, andwhat's important to know is that
50% of our business are fromoutside of the state of New
Hampshire.
So New Hampshire bordersVermont, Maine, and
Massachusetts.
About a quarter of ourcustomers come from
Massachusetts.
We have stores all along ourborders, and we really encourage
out-of-state shoppers to comeand purchase our products
(26:31):
because uh they get a greatselection and they get some of
the lowest prices in thecountry.
New Hampshire is a state thatrelies on tourism.
Uh we have a beautiful fourseasons that people can come and
enjoy, and we hope that theystop in our stores uh on their
way to their destination andwhen they're going home.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (26:47):
And that's a great benefit for your
community too.
EJ Powers (26:49):
It sure is.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (26:50):
Great for shoppers, great for your
community.
EJ Powers (26:52):
Whether or not you shop at a liquor and wine
outlet, everybody in the stateof New Hampshire benefits.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (26:55):
Awesome.
Michelle Schmitt (26:56):
All right, thank you, EJ.
EJ Powers (26:57):
Thank you.
Michelle Schmitt (26:59):
I'm Michelle Schmitt, and I live in
Utah.
I come to Montgomery Countywith breaking news.
Breaking news from Utah, youcan get a drink in Utah.
There are many places to getdrinks in Utah.
Um, you just have to be awareof a couple quirky things.
For instance, you cannot buywine in the grocery store.
(27:19):
That's something that a lot ofpeople are surprised to find if
they're visiting our state.
You do need to buy wine and alot of beer, any beer that's
above a 5% ABV, you need to goto a state liquor store to buy
that.
Um, you can get beer and otherseltzers at grocery store and
convenience stores.
But we also have a reallyrobust um local producer scene,
(27:42):
so you can get locally made Utahproducts that whiskies, vodkas,
gins, etc., a large craftbrewery scene as well.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (27:52):
Oh, nice.
Yeah.
So Utah has a fairly largenon-drinking population.
Is that right?
And how does that play intoyour system?
Michelle Schmitt (28:02):
Um well, I think one thing is we just need
to be really sensitive to thefact that there are a lot of
people who who are notconsumers.
They don't they don't consumealcohol, they're not part of
that that culture ofconsumption.
Um but something we always wantto remind all Utah's is that
they benefit from what we do atthe Department of Alcoholic
(28:23):
Beverage Services, um,regardless if they drink alcohol
or not, and that's because wehelp to keep taxes low for all
Utah's by the revenue that wegenerate that goes right back
into state and localprogramming.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (28:34):
All right, and thank you for that reminder
because we like to make thatreminder too.
All right, thank you forcoming.
Yeah, thank you.
Gig Robinson (28:43):
I'm Gig Robinson with the West Virginia Alcohol
Beverage Control.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (28:46):
Okay, hi Gig.
So, West Virginia, ourneighbor, and also I think kind
of popularized in movies andliterature.
We tend to think of moonshineand that kind of history with
West Virginia.
You know, how accurate is that?
Gig Robinson (29:00):
That would be correct.
In the southern part of thestate, we have the Hatfields and
McCoys.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (29:04):
Yeah.
Gig Robinson (29:04):
And so Moonshine is known for that area and
continues to be known and hasspread out and has become more
popular in other parts of theregion and other parts of the
country.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (29:13):
Yeah, okay.
But that's not the only drinkyou got.
You must have some more modernones.
Gig Robinson (29:17):
Well, we do, and when you talk about moonshine,
probably the name Devil Antscomes to mind, and we have some
actually product neck namedafter Mr.
Ants.
And if you go further northtowards the outskirts of
Pittsburgh, uh you get more kindof like steel workers and and
folks can drink Buler makers andand bourbon and beers and
things like that.
The center part of the state,we have we have several folklore
(29:41):
monsters.
Okay.
And they products are namedafter alcoholic products are
named after those monsters.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (29:46):
So so who are some of those monsters?
Gig Robinson (29:48):
Well, you may have heard of the Mothman
Prophecies.
That was a movie with uhRichard Gere.
And in the late 60s, early 70s,there was a silver bridge that
spanned from Point Pleasant,West Virginia.
Over to Ohio.
And about two weeks beforeChristmas, that bridge
collapsed.
And there were lots of peopleon there.
And it was rumored that therewas a uh a Mothman type of
(30:12):
creature with glowing eyes andwings and all that.
That every time there was adisaster, that that person or
that monster would be seen.
And so, yes, there is actuallya beer named after the Mothman.
And they actually have a bigfestival.
It happens in Point Pleasant,and it's it's kind of weird,
kind of cool.
In the center part of thestate, we have Braxton County,
(30:34):
we have a monster there,Grafton monster.
And so beer products and winesand spirits are actually named
after these folklore monstersand actually has images on their
label.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (30:48):
Okay, well, all right.
So Montgomery County residentswho want to go on a monster
tour, they should come to WestVirginia.
Gig Robinson (30:54):
Absolutely.
You are welcome to come.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (30:55):
All right, lots of other great things to do
in West Virginia too.
Gig Robinson (30:58):
Yes, yeah, this is the time of year for our
Whitewater Rafting, and thebridge day was just this best
weekend, and West Virginia hasthe latest national park, the
New River Gorge Bridge, andpeople base jump off of that.
We had 400 people do that lastweekend.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (31:13):
Absolutely stunning.
All right, thank you, Gig.
Gig Robinson (31:16):
Thank you, and thank you for being part of the
hosting the National AlcoholBeverage Administrators
Conference.
All right, you and yourdirector, Kathy Durbin, have
done a wonderful job.
Thank you.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (31:25):
Thank you.
Jeff Strickland (31:27):
Hi, I'm Jeff Strickland, Public Affairs
Director for the North CarolinaABC Commission.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (31:32):
Okay, hi, welcome.
Thanks.
Um, so tell me about thehospitality industry in North
Carolina.
Jeff Strickland (31:36):
Yeah, so North Carolina, very popular tourism
state.
Uh, have a little bit to offerfor everybody, you know,
whether you're at the beach, themountains, and everywhere in
between, great nightlife.
So really it is something foreverybody.
The state's growing very fast.
Um, and with that, we see thatyou know a lot of trends in the
alcohol business.
Um, whether that's in thebeach, mountains, a little bit
(31:59):
for everybody.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (32:00):
Okay, that sounds good.
And you have NASCAR too, right?
Jeff Strickland (32:02):
Yes.
North Carolina, it's it'sit's a long history, but NASCAR
really founded started withmoonshiners, people who were
modifying their cars, trying tomake them you know outrun law
enforcement, stripping, yeah,stripping out everything inside
except for the driver's seat tocarry more moonshine.
So you know, from those originsto what you see today with
(32:23):
these really souped-up stockcars, it's kind of a fun
history.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (32:27):
I had no idea.
Okay, and if we ... I think alot of people travel from
Montgomery County to NorthCarolina, that's a pretty
common road trip for us.
So what ... what might wedrink?
Do you have a good recipe forus?
Jeff Strickland (32:38):
Again, it depends kind of where you are in
the state, what you're doing.
Uh but the North Carolinacocktail is the cherry bounce.
Uh the way you make it is vodkaor cherry vodka, some cranberry
juice, lime juice, uh stir thattogether, and then top it off
with club soda and a cherry.
So that's sort of the signaturecocktail, but again, there's a
lot for everybody.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (32:57):
All right, that sounds like a cocktail I
would love.
Yes.
All right, Jeff, thank you somuch.
Jeff Strickland (33:01):
Thank you, Jocelyn.
Announcer (33:03):
Alcohol Beverage Services is the alcohol
wholesaler of beer, wine, andspirits for Montgomery County.
And it operates neighborhoodretail stores.
ABS also manages alcohollicensing, enforcement, and
education for more than 1,000businesses.
Profits are used to pay forresident services that otherwise
(33:25):
would be funded by county taxdollars.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoco.
Welcome to Spirited Discussions, a podcast by
Alcohol Beverage Services,exploring alcohol products,
trends, and policies inMontgomery County.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (00:12):
Thanks for joining us.
I'm your host, Jocelyn Rowat.
We're doing something a littledifferent in this episode.
We're recording from theNational Alcohol Beverage
Control Association'sAdministrators Conference, which
this year is being held inBethesda.
And that means thatprofessionals from alcohol
control systems all over thecountry have convened to learn
(00:32):
about new tools and to sharebest practices.
And that makes this the perfectopportunity to get perspectives
on alcohol products, trends,and policies from across the
country.
So we're pleased to welcomelots of guests to this episode
of Spirited Discussions.
And we're going to start withMaggie Barchine, who is the
Director of Communications forthe National Alcohol Beverage
(00:53):
Control Association, which weall affectionately refer to
NABCA.
So hi Maggie.
Hi, how are you?
Good.
So it's really good to be herein Bethesda.
Can you tell us what NABCA is?
Maggie Batchine (01:07):
Okay, so like you said, National Alcohol
Beverage Control Association.
And what all of that means iswe are a trade association,
we're non-advocacy, and werepresent control systems across
the United States.
And so there are 18jurisdictions.
We distinguish withjurisdictions because Montgomery
County is unique in that thestate of Maryland is what is
(01:29):
known as a licensed state or anopen state.
And within Maryland, thecounty, because of the
population that you guys have,um, standalone.
And so you have that statuswith NABCA.
So 18 control systems acrossthe United States.
Not all systems have retail.
So about seven of our membershave a wholesale and a retail
(01:55):
component.
The rest take ownership ofbeverage alcohol at the
wholesale level.
And then they would haveprivate retail stores kind of
sell the product.
But those private stores wouldbuy the product from the state
itself.
So a government agency thattakes ownership of beverage
alcohol in the businesstransaction cycle is kind of how
(02:15):
I define what a control systemis, in addition to how it
relates to NABCA.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (02:20):
All right.
That sounds like a perfectdefinition to me.
Let's see what our colleagueshave to say about it.
Okay, perfect.
Awesome.
All right, it's gonna be fun.
Chip Jones (02:30):
My name's Chip Jones.
I'm with the MississippiDepartment of Revenue, and we
are known as the hospitalitystate.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (02:36):
Hospitality state, then we're in the right
place.
All right.
Well, since you're thehospitality state, tell me, do
you have a good cocktail recipethat is specific to
Mississippi?
We do.
We have a cocktail that'scalled bee sting, which is kind
of like a bee's knees if you'veheard of that cocktail before.
But this one uses a little bitof jalapeno.
So you you take equal partshoney and water, make a syrup
(02:58):
with that, and then you takelemon juice.
We use Cathead vodka.
That's a vodka that's producedin Mississippi.
And then you muddle the lemonjuice with a jalapeno slice, and
then you add it to a shaker andand pour it over ice.
So does it does it taste spicy?
Chip Jones (03:12):
A little bit, but not...
you get a little bit of thesmell and then a little bit on
the on the back end, but it'sthe lemon juice really mellows
it out, so it's verydelicious.
You should try it.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (03:22):
And what what might I want to eat it
with?
Chip Jones (03:24):
I don't know.
The first thing I thought ofwas caramel popcorn for some
reason.
So the sweet and the spicy.
Yeah, yeah, because it's yeah,it gives you just something else
to kind of bring out theflavors in it.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (03:33):
All right.
I feel like I need to come toMississippi.
Thank you, Chip.
Chip Jones (03:36):
All right, thank you.
Tyler Ackerson (03:38):
My name's Tyler Ackerson.
I'm the legislative liaison forthe Iowa Department of Revenue.
The Department of Revenue isresponsible for not only tax
administration in our state, butalcoholic beverage regulation
as well.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (03:53):
Okay.
Well, even though I'm inMontgomery County, I've actually
been to your state because Ilived in your state, but I was
too young to drink alcoholicbeverages.
So I don't remember what Iowansare drinking.
So can you give us a heads up?
Tyler Ackerson (04:04):
Well, I think some would say that the state
alcoholic beverage of choice isBusch Light.
I I don't have the stats to saythat you know we drink the
most, but it's a very popularbeverage.
And I recall an incident in2017, I think, where we one of
(04:25):
our college football teams wasin a bowl game and uh was
traveling, I think it might havebeen in Memphis, and we have
very loyal college footballfans.
Um and they apparently drankthis bar out of B usch Light
entirely.
But you know, that while thatis a popular beverage, I would
(04:48):
say that folks that come toIowa, first of all, folks should
come to Iowa, you know.
I think folks should disregardthe stereotype of us being a
flyover state.
Uh I think we have a lot ofcool things going on that people
would really enjoy.
And and one of those is ournative, what we call native
manufacturing industry.
So our in-state distillers,breweries, and wineries.
(05:12):
They are a fantastic group ofentrepreneurs who are really
doing cool stuff and putting outhigh-quality products that
people not only enjoy, but arealso award-winning.
I mean, we've we've placed inin national competitions or
judging uh panels for thesevarious types of beverages.
(05:32):
So I think and and we also oureconomic development agency
also has a passport.
So you can not only come toIowa very easily, but you can
have it all laid out in thispassport of the different
manufacturers to visit.
So I would encourage people toto come visit us and and give us
a try.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (05:51):
Awesome.
Iowa, a craft beveragedestination.
Thank you, Tyler.
Tyler Ackerson (05:55):
Thank you.
Jackie DeGenova (05:58):
My name is Jackie DeGenova, and I am the
superintendent of the Divisionof Liquor Control in Ohio.
Lorraine Terry (06:04):
Ohio.
Hi, Lorraine Terry, vicepresident of the Jobs Ohio
Beverage System.
I operate publicly as OhioLiquor with the Division of
Liquor Control.
O. H. I.O.
All right, Jackie.
With about a quarter of theU.S.
operating as a controljurisdiction, why do you think
communities are continuing tochoose this model?
Jackie DeGenova (06:25):
So the control model, it's tried and tested.
Every state has a level ofcontrol that's been around since
prohibition, so nearly ahundred years.
And I think consumersunderstand and have come to
value the fact that it'sconsistent, it's reliable, they
(06:46):
understand the messaging of abalance of enforcement, um, a
bare a balance of fair selling,uh, a responsibility messaging
with consumption.
So all of those things thatconsumers understand that they
can rely on with their state, Ithink that's the main reason.
(07:06):
They have the understandingthat someone is out there
regulating the manufacture,distribution, and sale of
alcoholic beverages.
And in addition to that, youknow, making sure that there's a
public health messagingresponsible consumption,
mitigating your risks.
Uh we partner withorganizations.
So I think that is one reasonwhy the community responds.
(07:30):
And it's really the same reasonwhy suppliers respond.
They know that there will befair selling, they know that we
will be a partner to work withthem on legislative issues.
We're all kind of rowing in thesame direction.
Uh we know that the revenuethat's generated from alcohol
sales benefits economicdevelopment and you know taxes.
(07:52):
It may vary by state, but Ithink there's a universal
message there.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (07:56):
I totally agree.
You know, it's absolutelyreliable.
So, Lorraine, what what trendsare you seeing in the alcohol
industry?
Lorraine Terry (08:02):
Yeah, great question.
Um, so I've actually only beenin the industry about 10 years,
and over the past 10 years, Ihave seen a huge amount of
change.
Um, at the conference, here atthe NABCA conference, we've
heard a lot about our currentstruggles, right?
Health and wellness, THC,cannabis, you know, where are
the sales going?
But over the past 10 years, andwhat I've seen in the control
(08:24):
jurisdictions has been a focuson innovation, a focus on
communicating with ourconsumers, on a focus on
partnering with suppliers togrow brands, not just sell
bottles.
I have seen a true focus on howdo we make a control state, a
control jurisdiction current andmodern and right where our
(08:45):
consumer wants us to be.
So the past 10 years has been alot of change in Ohio,
especially.
We've overhauled ourdistribution systems, we've
overhauled the way in which wecommunicate to our consumers.
We launched an app thissummer, first time ever.
So really excited about that.
And again, that's just atestament to those trends.
(09:06):
We are trying to skate wherethe puck is going, I think is
the phrase.
It's where our consumers areheading.
They want to be able to, youknow, find the bottles they want
to find on our shelves whenthey want to find it, and uh in
a way that they want to look forit online, email, physically in
the stores.
So lots of really greatinnovation over the past 10
years.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (09:26):
Yeah, I've been in in this industry about
the same as you, and it'samazing how much has changed in
just that short period of time.
Okay, Ohio, thank you.
Thank you.
Hi, I'm Wendy Gregorio.
I'm from Wyoming.
Wyoming.
Is this your first time comingto Montgomery County?
Wendy Gregorio (09:43):
Yes, I believe I've been through here before,
but I've never actually stoppedin Bethesda proper.
So it's really awesome.
I'm really enjoying my timehere.
It's definitely a paradigmshift from my state.
Wyoming is the least populatedstate in the whole United
(10:05):
States.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (10:06):
So the whole state has fewer people than
Montgomery County, right?
Wendy Gregorio (10:09):
Yeah, absolutely.
So I believe our populationthis year is like 561,000.
And I think that there's doublethat.
And just for reference, thatmeans uh that we have fewer
people in a state so large thatit could fit Maryland in it
(10:33):
eight times.
Eight times.
Yeah, about 1.1 million here in Montgomery County.
Wow.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (10:36):
Wow.
Okay, so we're we're talkingabout a really big difference.
But that's what makes this fun.
So why do you think that thecontrol model is working so well
in Wyoming?
Wendy Gregorio (10:47):
So as I mentioned, our state is very
large.
It is also very geographicallydiverse.
So we have mountains, we havedeserts, we have plains, and we
have a lot of small retailstores.
Wyoming controls at thewholesale level, and so we sell
(11:08):
to liquor licensees, akaretailers.
And those retailers are all notalways in the easiest locations
to get to, and some of themnever even see a salesperson in
a year.
So the Wyoming Liquor Division,our distribution is pretty
amazing because we bringeverything into our warehouse in
(11:31):
Cheyenne, and then we are ableto offer next day delivery to
all of our liquor licensees, nomatter their location, and they
all get it at the same price,and I'm really proud of that.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (11:44):
Yeah, so that's some nice service for the
wide open spaces.
Wendy Gregorio (11:47):
Yep.
Lori Murphy (11:47):
All right, thank you, Wendy.
Thanks.
Hi, I'm Lori Murphy.
I'm the director of retail forVirginia.
I have been working there for29 years, and I absolutely love
it.
So it's just an amazing companyto work for.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (12:03):
So our neighbor right across the
river. What's new in Virginia?
We launched a new concept storethat's going to improve the
customer experience overall.
It improves our categorysignage, the flow of the store,
it makes it easier to access newitems, grab and go items, and
(12:24):
strike zones.
Um, we're catering to thecustomer, so we do city-related
featured end caps.
So it's all of the distilleriesin that city.
Have fun.
It's so exciting.
Um, a new tasting area that hasa lot of different pieces where
they roll out so that we canhave it throughout the store.
(12:47):
We can actually have twodifferent tasting zones, and we
just keep improving as we go.
Um, we do a lot of differentsafety components and new
features that we're trying toensure our employee and customer
safety throughout our stores,um, as well as showing them our
new education platform.
(13:07):
So we have a rolling deck thatgoes in our store that they can
actually watch and understandwhat a control state is all
about and what our educationplatform is.
Nice. And Virginia's wine country too, so
I bet you have a lot of nicelocal products in your stores.
Lori Murphy (13:23):
We do, absolutely.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (13:24):
Okay.
All right, thank you, Virginia.
Thank you.
David Marvin (13:29):
I'm David Marvin.
I'm from the Michigan LiquorControl Commission.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (13:32):
All right, so if we from Montgomery County
oing to are g come and visitMichigan, what can we expect?
David Marvin (13:36):
Well, I'm going to default to our state motto.
I'm going to only talk about itin English because the Latin is
really hard.
It is "if you seek a pleasantpeninsula, look about you." And
Michigan, if you have everlooked at a map, we look like a
high five, we've got a hand, andI don't know what the other one
is.
We always come with our our twohands, make a wonderful map of
(13:59):
Michigan.
We have amazing things to seein Michigan.
Um we we've got the GreatLakes.
You can there's you're nevertoo far away from water.
We've got places like Detroitand Grand Rapids, metro areas
that are have just amazingthings to see, museums and
history.
But then we have everythingelse.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (14:17):
You know, I remember ... I've been to
Michigan quite a few times.
I was born in Michigan, andwhat I really remember is
swimming in Lake Superior, which, you know, a lot of people do
in that, it's freezing.
David Marvin (14:26):
Well, Lake Superior stays warmer a lot
longer in the year.
Uh a couple years ago, inOctober in Marquette, it was a
90-degree day, which hit arecord.
But Michigan has the winter,wonderful winter sports that we
have (14:40):
snowmobiling and snowshoeing and skiing.
Uh the summer, summer is justamazing with all the you
mentioned uh swimming.
We've got those Great Lakes,and a lot of inland lakes too.
You're never very far fromwater.
We've got backpacking andhiking and biking and all of the
cultural stuff that you cansee, museums and historic spots
(15:01):
that we've got around the uh thestate.
And and the alcohol beverageindustry in Michigan plays
right into that.
We've got a large agritourismindustry in Michigan where it's
it's farm to table.
We've got amazing wineries,we've got distilleries that use
primarily Michigan-based grains,and it's just a fascinating
place to come and see and enjoyand have a good meal, have a
(15:24):
good drink with friends, travelaround and see just all the
amazing things that you can seein the Great Lakes State.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (15:30):
All right, road trip to Michigan.
Thank you so much.
David Marvin (15:33):
We would love to have you there.
Thank you.
John Brady (15:36):
I'm John Brady, I'm from the Oregon Liquor and
Cannabis Commission.
I'm the director ofcommunications.
Uh, fun fact about Oregon isthat our state bird is the
Meadowlark, and we're building anew warehouse in Canby, and
we're calling it ProjectMeadowlark.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (15:49):
Oh, fun.
Okay, so how long have you beenat this organization?
John Brady (15:53):
I've been there, I'm coming up on my first year.
Um, so I've been incommunications for almost two
decades now, but this is thefirst time I've ever done
alcohol and cannabiscommunications, so it's very
new.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (16:04):
Okay, so something we all experience when
we come into this industry iswow, there's a lot of unusual
stuff.
So what's something strangethat you've seen?
John Brady (16:11):
Yeah, so the probably the most interesting
thing was I was maybe a week orso on the job, and the executive
director took me for a tour.
Our offices are located alsowhere our warehouse is, and so
he showed me where the warehouseis.
We actually have twowarehouses, but he showed me
where the warehouse was, and Ihad never realized that all of
the liquor in the state ofOregon is in one place.
And so he took me to where thethe warehouse where it comes in.
(16:35):
And as I tell people, it's likethe end of Indiana Jones, or
the, you know, where they gointo the warehouse and they're
hiding the what is it, thecovenant.
Yeah, and all you see are likeshelves and shelves, and that's
what it is, is like shelves andshelves of liquor, and I still
can't get over that.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (16:51):
Yeah, that's an eye-opening experience.
Okay, so if you're fairly new,then this is also your first
time coming to a NABCAconference.
So have you learned anythinginteresting?
John Brady (16:58):
I have.
I was actually I was luckyenough to be on a panel, and we
talked about the balancingpublic health messaging and also
talking about the enjoyment ofalcohol or the consumption of
alcohol, and where do you findthat balance?
And we had some greatpanelists, and one of the things
I learned is one of thepanelists is from an
(17:18):
organization that does a lot ofwork with influencers on you
know social media and stuff likethat.
We were thinking about doingsome of the same stuff in
Oregon, and it was just reallyinteresting to hear how they
approached those influencers,how they did a lot of research,
and how they actually alsotrained the influencers.
So that was really interesting.
And then the other interestingthing was we had a panelist
(17:40):
from the Center for AlcoholPolicy, and we were talking
about you know, how does theatmosphere, sort of the
political conversation and youknow, fragmentation and
polarization, how does thataffect your communications?
And she talked about how if youactually look at attitudes
about alcohol, Americans aren'tactually polarized.
There's actually a surprisingamount of unity around the
(18:04):
necessity for moderation, theimportance of regulation and
things like that.
So that was really surprisingand I thought really insightful.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (18:11):
Yeah, yeah, it is interesting.
Okay, so since you're fromOregon, you have traveled a very
long way, so thank you forcoming so far, and hopefully
we'll be coming out to Oregonsoon.
John Brady (18:19):
You're more than welcome.
All right, thank you.
Thank you.
Shawn Kelly (18:25):
My name Shawn Kelly, I'm the press secretary
for the Pennsylvania LiquorControl Board.
I've been there for 12 years,and I guess one of my many
claims to fame is I was one ofthe one of the people who was on
camera and on radio the mostduring COVID.
It was like the governor, itwas our Secretary of Health, and
then probably me.
Oh I don't say that to brag,but everybody wanted to know
(18:47):
what was happening with alcohol.
Everybody wanted to know whenare the stores reopening, what
about this curbside pickup,what's going on with the
website.
So yeah, I was I waseverywhere.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (18:57):
Okay, and now we've got you here at our
podcast table.
Shawn Kelly (18:59):
It's my pleasure to be here.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (19:01):
All right.
So Pennsylvania is not too faraway, so we might take a quick
road trip, especially with theholidays coming up.
Uh, what might we drink whilewe're there?
Shawn Kelly (19:08):
Well, you you're picking a good state to go to.
Pennsylvania has such a historywhen it comes to alcoholic
beverages.
William Penn, the the personfor whom Pennsylvania is named,
he planted the first vineyard inthe state in 1683 in
Philadelphia.
Philadelphia was home to a lotof taverns that were responsible
for fomenting some of thedissent that occurred during the
Revolutionary War.
(19:29):
After the Revolutionary War,you have the whiskey rebellion
out in western Pennsylvania.
Farmers there who distilledtheir own products were very
upset with taxation, so they leda little rebellion.
And then one of the things thatPennsylvania is very well known
for is Yingling.
Yingling beer.
1829, Pottsville,Pennsylvania, in the heart of
(19:50):
coal country.
I grew up about 30 minutesaway from from the Yingling
Brewery.
My friends' parents drank it.
I would see it in garages whenI was a kid.
And it was always interestingto me when people in other
states would say, Yingling,where's where's Yingling?
And even now, when I seeYingling go to another state, it
(20:11):
it's big news.
And for me, it's old hat.
It's just that's coal region,Pennsylvania.
So one of the other things thatPennsylvania's Coal Region has
given is uh something calledBoilo.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (20:22):
Okay.
Shawn Kelly (20:22):
Which is Boil plus the letter O.
So it's Boilo.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (20:27):
Yeah.
I wanted to pronounce itdifferently.
There you go.
Shawn Kelly (20:30):
That's okay.
That's all right.
Um, just don't do it therebecause you might get laughed
out of the fire hall.
It's whiskey, a blendedwhiskey, and then you add in
stuff.
Citrus, generally lemon ororange, probably the peel, but
some people do it differentways.
Water or ginger ale or some mixthereof.
(20:51):
Then spices like cloves orcinnamon or allspice or
cardamom.
Uh, and then it it goes oh, andhoney.
You can't forget the honey.
You put it in a pot, you put iton the stove, you bring it up
to a boil.
Boilo.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (21:06):
Okay.
Um it doesn't explode, does it?
Shawn Kelly (21:10):
Uh there have been instances if the pot boils over
and you have the whiskey go intothe flame that it could
combust.
It's interesting because thisis such a a Pennsylvania thing.
Um, I generally don't plugproducts and we generally don't
pr plug products at the PLCB.
But if you're making Boilo theright way, you have to use a
particular type of whiskey.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (21:31):
Okay.
Shawn Kelly (21:32):
It's called Four Queens.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (21:33):
And that's local?
Shawn Kelly (21:35):
It's not.
It's from well, it's fromPhiladelphia.
It's not Schuylkill County, butit's we in our in our Coal
Region stores, we will put out apallet of Four Queens to buy.
Uh we sell one-fifth of theamount that we sell for the
entire year for the entire statein one county in Pennsylvania
(21:58):
in two months.
That tells you how popular FourQueens is when it comes to
making this product.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (22:04):
And what does it taste like?
Shawn Kelly (22:06):
Well, it depends on whose you whose you try, and
this is where things getinteresting.
You could find recipes online,you could you could kind of mess
around with it and figure itout.
People have their own recipes,and they are very, very, very
protective of those recipes.
Because there are competitions.
You know, a fire hall will havea boilo competition on a
(22:27):
Saturday, and they'll havedifferent samples for people to
taste, and then theydecide which one they say which
ones they like, and yeah, it'sit's very competitive.
I can't wait for a taste test.
Yeah, I can tell you a boilo is believed to have
medicinal properties.
Like a hot toddy.
You serve it as hot as you candrink it.
(22:48):
I can tell you that one timewhen I was sick and I was going
to a holiday gathering, I didn'twant to go.
They're like, we'll have boilo.
Uh okay.
They poured me a mug of boilo,and uh it went down real hot.
Real hot.
And I needed transportationhome because please drink
(23:08):
responsibly.
Um but by the next morning,sinuses were clear, the phlegm
was clear, it really did kind ofwork all the way through the
system.
It does, it does have thisamazing thing.
I don't know if it's acombination of the alcohol and
the honey or the citrus, butwhatever it is, it works magic
on your system.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (23:27):
All right.
The next time I have a cold,it'll be a road trip to
Pennsylvania.
you, Shawn.
Shawn Kelly (23:32):
Sure.
Dacia English (23:34):
Hi, my name Dacia English.
I am with the State of Montana,Department of Revenue Cannabis
and Alcohol Regulation Division.
Host Jocelyn Ra (23:43):
Welcome Dacia.
I hear that there is a liquorthat is quite delicious that is
specific to Montana. Did did Ihear correctly?
Dacia English (23:49):
Yes, actually, it is so delicious.
It is a huckleberry whiskey,and it is made by one of our
local distilleries up by GlacierNational Park.
And what they have to do isthey have to go out and handpick
all of the huckleberries thatthey use for this whiskey every
single year.
And granted, huckleberry seasonis only July through like July
(24:13):
15th through September 15th.
So depending on when they'reripe and when they're, you know,
they have to figure out whenthey need to go out, and they
have to avoid the competitiontoo, which are bears.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (24:27):
Oh.
I wasn't expecting that.
Okay, and then what do they dowith it?
Dacia English (24:34):
Then they mash it and then they put it in with
the whiskey, and then theybasically flavor it with the
actual berries.
And then they bottle it.
Host (24:46):
That sounds delicious. And do they normally drink it
straight or do they...
is it usually with a mixer?
It's both. Yeah. You can use a mixer. You can do it straight. I do it straight.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (24:55):
Neat.
All right.
Well, I'm glad that folks arepicking the huckleberries for me
because I don't want to competewith the bears, but it sounds
wonderful.
Okay.
Thank you so much.
Dacia English (25:04):
Thank you.
EJ Powers (25:06):
Hi, I'm EJ Powers.
I'm a spokesman for the NewHampshire Liquor Commission from
the "live free or die" state ofNew Hampshire.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (25:13):
Okay.
Hi, welcome, EJ.
Um, so we talked earlier aboutabout a quarter of the country
is actually in a controljurisdiction.
So why do you think thatcommunities are still making
this choice and why is itworking for them?
EJ Powers (25:28):
I think it's the public benefit.
So New Hampshire justcelebrated its 90th anniversary.
Uh we launched a year-longcampaign, 90 years of cheers.
Uh, and we've been providingcustomers with an unbe
unbeatable selection of productsat some of the lowest prices in
the country uh for that time.
And what's most important isthat um over the course of 90
years, we've generated over 4.7billion dollars uh that's gone
(25:52):
back to the state.
That's a lot of money.
Yeah, to help support essentialstate services.
So very proud of the work we dowhile also offering customers
just uh an incredible selectionof products.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (26:02):
Okay, so so considering where you are
geographically, what's yourwhat's your customer base like?
EJ Powers (26:08):
So we have 12 million customers that visit
from across North America, andwhat's important to know is that
50% of our business are fromoutside of the state of New
Hampshire.
So New Hampshire bordersVermont, Maine, and
Massachusetts.
About a quarter of ourcustomers come from
Massachusetts.
We have stores all along ourborders, and we really encourage
out-of-state shoppers to comeand purchase our products
(26:31):
because uh they get a greatselection and they get some of
the lowest prices in thecountry.
New Hampshire is a state thatrelies on tourism.
Uh we have a beautiful fourseasons that people can come and
enjoy, and we hope that theystop in our stores uh on their
way to their destination andwhen they're going home.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (26:47):
And that's a great benefit for your
community too.
EJ Powers (26:49):
It sure is.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (26:50):
Great for shoppers, great for your
community.
EJ Powers (26:52):
Whether or not you shop at a liquor and wine
outlet, everybody in the stateof New Hampshire benefits.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (26:55):
Awesome.
Michelle Schmitt (26:56):
All right, thank you, EJ.
EJ Powers (26:57):
Thank you.
Michelle Schmitt (26:59):
I'm Michelle Schmitt, and I live in
Utah.
I come to Montgomery Countywith breaking news.
Breaking news from Utah, youcan get a drink in Utah.
There are many places to getdrinks in Utah.
Um, you just have to be awareof a couple quirky things.
For instance, you cannot buywine in the grocery store.
(27:19):
That's something that a lot ofpeople are surprised to find if
they're visiting our state.
You do need to buy wine and alot of beer, any beer that's
above a 5% ABV, you need to goto a state liquor store to buy
that.
Um, you can get beer and otherseltzers at grocery store and
convenience stores.
But we also have a reallyrobust um local producer scene,
(27:42):
so you can get locally made Utahproducts that whiskies, vodkas,
gins, etc., a large craftbrewery scene as well.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (27:52):
Oh, nice.
Yeah.
So Utah has a fairly largenon-drinking population.
Is that right?
And how does that play intoyour system?
Michelle Schmitt (28:02):
Um well, I think one thing is we just need
to be really sensitive to thefact that there are a lot of
people who who are notconsumers.
They don't they don't consumealcohol, they're not part of
that that culture ofconsumption.
Um but something we always wantto remind all Utah's is that
they benefit from what we do atthe Department of Alcoholic
(28:23):
Beverage Services, um,regardless if they drink alcohol
or not, and that's because wehelp to keep taxes low for all
Utah's by the revenue that wegenerate that goes right back
into state and localprogramming.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (28:34):
All right, and thank you for that reminder
because we like to make thatreminder too.
All right, thank you forcoming.
Yeah, thank you.
Gig Robinson (28:43):
I'm Gig Robinson with the West Virginia Alcohol
Beverage Control.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (28:46):
Okay, hi Gig.
So, West Virginia, ourneighbor, and also I think kind
of popularized in movies andliterature.
We tend to think of moonshineand that kind of history with
West Virginia.
You know, how accurate is that?
Gig Robinson (29:00):
That would be correct.
In the southern part of thestate, we have the Hatfields and
McCoys.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (29:04):
Yeah.
Gig Robinson (29:04):
And so Moonshine is known for that area and
continues to be known and hasspread out and has become more
popular in other parts of theregion and other parts of the
country.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (29:13):
Yeah, okay.
But that's not the only drinkyou got.
You must have some more modernones.
Gig Robinson (29:17):
Well, we do, and when you talk about moonshine,
probably the name Devil Antscomes to mind, and we have some
actually product neck namedafter Mr.
Ants.
And if you go further northtowards the outskirts of
Pittsburgh, uh you get more kindof like steel workers and and
folks can drink Buler makers andand bourbon and beers and
things like that.
The center part of the state,we have we have several folklore
(29:41):
monsters.
Okay.
And they products are namedafter alcoholic products are
named after those monsters.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (29:46):
So so who are some of those monsters?
Gig Robinson (29:48):
Well, you may have heard of the Mothman
Prophecies.
That was a movie with uhRichard Gere.
And in the late 60s, early 70s,there was a silver bridge that
spanned from Point Pleasant,West Virginia.
Over to Ohio.
And about two weeks beforeChristmas, that bridge
collapsed.
And there were lots of peopleon there.
And it was rumored that therewas a uh a Mothman type of
(30:12):
creature with glowing eyes andwings and all that.
That every time there was adisaster, that that person or
that monster would be seen.
And so, yes, there is actuallya beer named after the Mothman.
And they actually have a bigfestival.
It happens in Point Pleasant,and it's it's kind of weird,
kind of cool.
In the center part of thestate, we have Braxton County,
(30:34):
we have a monster there,Grafton monster.
And so beer products and winesand spirits are actually named
after these folklore monstersand actually has images on their
label.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (30:48):
Okay, well, all right.
So Montgomery County residentswho want to go on a monster
tour, they should come to WestVirginia.
Gig Robinson (30:54):
Absolutely.
You are welcome to come.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (30:55):
All right, lots of other great things to do
in West Virginia too.
Gig Robinson (30:58):
Yes, yeah, this is the time of year for our
Whitewater Rafting, and thebridge day was just this best
weekend, and West Virginia hasthe latest national park, the
New River Gorge Bridge, andpeople base jump off of that.
We had 400 people do that lastweekend.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (31:13):
Absolutely stunning.
All right, thank you, Gig.
Gig Robinson (31:16):
Thank you, and thank you for being part of the
hosting the National AlcoholBeverage Administrators
Conference.
All right, you and yourdirector, Kathy Durbin, have
done a wonderful job.
Thank you.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (31:25):
Thank you.
Jeff Strickland (31:27):
Hi, I'm Jeff Strickland, Public Affairs
Director for the North CarolinaABC Commission.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (31:32):
Okay, hi, welcome.
Thanks.
Um, so tell me about thehospitality industry in North
Carolina.
Jeff Strickland (31:36):
Yeah, so North Carolina, very popular tourism
state.
Uh, have a little bit to offerfor everybody, you know,
whether you're at the beach, themountains, and everywhere in
between, great nightlife.
So really it is something foreverybody.
The state's growing very fast.
Um, and with that, we see thatyou know a lot of trends in the
alcohol business.
Um, whether that's in thebeach, mountains, a little bit
(31:59):
for everybody.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (32:00):
Okay, that sounds good.
And you have NASCAR too, right?
Jeff Strickland (32:02):
Yes.
North Carolina, it's it'sit's a long history, but NASCAR
really founded started withmoonshiners, people who were
modifying their cars, trying tomake them you know outrun law
enforcement, stripping, yeah,stripping out everything inside
except for the driver's seat tocarry more moonshine.
So you know, from those originsto what you see today with
(32:23):
these really souped-up stockcars, it's kind of a fun
history.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (32:27):
I had no idea.
Okay, and if we ... I think alot of people travel from
Montgomery County to NorthCarolina, that's a pretty
common road trip for us.
So what ... what might wedrink?
Do you have a good recipe forus?
Jeff Strickland (32:38):
Again, it depends kind of where you are in
the state, what you're doing.
Uh but the North Carolinacocktail is the cherry bounce.
Uh the way you make it is vodkaor cherry vodka, some cranberry
juice, lime juice, uh stir thattogether, and then top it off
with club soda and a cherry.
So that's sort of the signaturecocktail, but again, there's a
lot for everybody.
Host Jocelyn Rawat (32:57):
All right, that sounds like a cocktail I
would love.
Yes.
All right, Jeff, thank you somuch.
Jeff Strickland (33:01):
Thank you, Jocelyn.
Announcer (33:03):
Alcohol Beverage Services is the alcohol
wholesaler of beer, wine, andspirits for Montgomery County.
And it operates neighborhoodretail stores.
ABS also manages alcohollicensing, enforcement, and
education for more than 1,000businesses.
Profits are used to pay forresident services that otherwise
(33:25):
would be funded by county taxdollars.
This podcast is brought to youby County Cable Montgomery, your
source for news and informationfrom the Montgomery County
government.
Connect with us via cable,Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube
by searching for County CableMoco.
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