Micro-distillery tastings

2025-2026 Bill 355: Micro-distillery tastings - South Carolina Legislature Online

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
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This Bill
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Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
S. 355
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Senators Bennett, Climer, Leber, Turner, Davis, Johnson, Adams, Fernandez, Tedder, Sutton, Ott and Hutto
Companion/Similar bill(s): 5017
Document Path: SR-0032CEM25.docx
Introduced in the Senate on February 18, 2025
Introduced in the House on May 7, 2026
Last Amended on May 5, 2026

Currently residing in the House Committee on
Judiciary
Summary: Micro-distillery tastings
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS

Date

Body

Action Description with journal page number

2/18/2025

Senate

Introduced and read first time (
Senate Journal-page 5
)

2/18/2025

Senate

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 5
)

4/29/2026

Senate

Committee report: Favorable with amendment
Judiciary
(
Senate Journal-page 10
)

5/5/2026

Senate

Committee Amendment Adopted (
Senate Journal-page 25
)

5/5/2026

Senate

Read second time (
Senate Journal-page 25
)

5/5/2026

Senate

Roll call Ayes-32 Nays-10 (
Senate Journal-page 25
)

5/6/2026

Senate

Read third time and sent to House (
Senate Journal-page 74
)

5/7/2026

House

Introduced and read first time (
House Journal-page 66
)

5/7/2026

House

Referred to Committee on
Judiciary
(
House Journal-page 66
)

View the latest
legislative information
at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
02/18/2025
04/29/2026
05/05/2026

Indicates Matter Stricken

Indicates New Matter

Committee Amendment Adopted

May 5, 2026

S. 355

Introduced by Senators Bennett, Climer, Leber,
Turner, Davis, Johnson, Adams, Fernandez, Tedder, Sutton, Ott and Hutto

S. Printed 5/5/26--S.

Read the first time February 18, 2025

________

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY AMENDING
SECTION
61-6-1140
, RELATING TO TASTINGS AND RETAIL SALES ON LICENSED PREMISES,
SO AS TO MODIFY THE TIME DURING WHICH TASTINGS AND RETAIL SALES CAN OCCUR; AND
BY AMENDING SECTION
61-6-1150
, RELATING TO TASTINGS AND RETAIL SALES, SO AS TO
MODIFY THE AMOUNT OF LIQUOR THAT CAN BE SOLD TO A CONSUMER DURING ONE BUSINESS
DAY.

Amend Title To Conform

B
e it enacted by the
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

S
ECTION 1.
S
ection
61-6-1140
of the S.C. Code is amended to read:

S
ection
61-6-1140
.
A
holder of a valid micro-distillery or
manufacturer license issued by the State may permit tastings and retail sales
of the alcoholic liquors produced at the licensed premises subject to the
following limitations and any other limitations provided in this subarticle:

(
1)
tastings by and sales to consumers must be held in conjunction with a tour by
the consumer of the on-site licensed premises and the micro-distillery or
manufacturer may charge an amount in its discretion for the tour. The amount
consumers are charged must be on a scale that accords with the amount of
alcoholic liquors for on-premises consumption that is dispensed to consumers;

(
2)
the micro-distillery or manufacturer shall establish appropriate protocols to
ensure that a consumer sold or served alcoholic liquors pursuant to this
section is not under twenty-one years of age and that a consumer shall not
attend more than one tasting in a day;

(
3)
the amount charged by micro-distilleries and manufacturers for tours must
increase incrementally and accord with the amount of alcoholic liquors provided
for on-premises consumption by one-half ounce, beginning with a base tour price
corresponding with the provision of one ounce of alcoholic liquor;

(
4)
the micro-distillery or manufacturer may not dispense more than four and
one-half ounces to an individual consumer in one day;

(
5)
tastings
and sales
may occur only between the hours
of
nine
9:00
a.m. and
seven
10:00
p.m., Monday
through Saturday
, and between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and
7:00 p.m. on Sundays
;

(
6) retail sales may occur only
between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and
between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Sundays;

(6)
(
7)
the micro-distillery or manufacturer may not charge
for alcoholic liquors consumed at a tasting;

(7)
(
8)
the micro-distillery or manufacturer may provide
mixers, which must be nonalcoholic and carry zero percent of alcohol by weight,
in conjunction with the tasting, but the micro-distillery or manufacturer may
not charge for the mixers;

(8)
(
9)
only brands of alcoholic liquors actually
manufactured, distilled, or fermented at and distributed to wholesalers from
the licensed premises may be sold or offered for tasting;

and

(9)
(
10)
a micro-distillery or a manufacturer licensed
pursuant to Section
61-6-1155
must comply with the discount pricing provisions
of Section
61-6-4550
, as applicable, and may not dispense alcoholic liquors for
free at a tasting in subsection
(6)
(7)
of this section.

S
ECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval
by the Governor.

----XX----

This web page was last updated on May 5, 2026 at 5:52 PM