Alaska distilleries: creating unique products for locals and visitors.

• Author: Slaten, Russ
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Manufacturing

Alaska microbrews have been a star on the scene of beverage manufacturers in the state, but with a new law in place, Alaska distilleries will have some of the same opportunities.

Parity for Alaska Distillers

Sales in Alaska from craft breweries--companies that produce less than 6 million gallons of beer a year--have more than tripled over the last ten years from 1 million gallons to 3.6 million gallons. For local microbrews, that number has increased four times over the past ten years, according to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development in the Alaska Economic Trends April 2014 issue. Growth in craft distillers liquor sales has seen a relatively slow and steady increase of about 25 percent over the same period of time. But the challenge lies in selling locally produced distilled spirits.

On July 14, state House Bill 309 (HB309)--sponsored by Representative Chris Tuck of Anchorage--was signed into law by Governor Sean Parnell. From its first reading in mid-February, HB309 poured through the House and Senate in record time, picking up several co-sponsors along the way. Representatives Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Steve Thompson, Lynn Gattis, Mia Costello, Harriet Drummond, Scott Kawasaki, and Andy Josephson all added their names as co-sponsors by the time it passed the House April 11. In the state Senate, HB309 advanced like white lightning; Senators Hollis French, Lesil McGuire, Berta Gardner, Click Bishop, Dennis Egan, Peter Micciche, and Bert Stedman cross sponsored the bill where it passed unanimously April 17.

The bill updates Title 4 Statutes in state law governing distilleries in Alaska and went into effect October 12. Tuck says it brings laws in line with those that regulate breweries and wineries in Alaska, adding, that HB309 "is about jobs for Alaska; it's about manufacturing; it's about local people being able to compete with huge national brands and about having something unique and Alaskan that we can bring our family and friends visiting from the Lower 48 to see and try."

Wineries and breweries are allowed to sell up to five gallons of product, and customers are able to taste up to thirty-six ounces, but because of a high concentration of alcohol in distilled products, the measurements are a bit lower, Tuck says.

The law allows a customer to purchase up to one gallon at the facility and sample up to three ounces of the spirits on site. Following the laws that oversee breweries and wineries, HB309 amended the bill to...