SL-29 Aww, Ship — Companies Thrive in Distribution’s Legally Grey Area

There’s a lot of change taking place in beer and broader beverage alcohol, but you might not notice it. It’s not the form of sales shifting for hard seltzer or Mountain Dew announcing an uncaffeinated, alcoholic version of the soda, but in the quiet space of distribution.

Alcohol sales are broken out into three traditional tiers—the producer (tier one) who makes it, distributors (tier two) who move it, and retailers (tier three), who sell it. These are broad brushstrokes, but are a key part of the painting Kate Bernot is going to create for you in this episode. Kate, Good Beer Hunting’s Sightlines reporter, has recently had a series of stories focused on what’s happening around shipping beer and other products, and we’re going to spend a good chunk of time talking about a very grey area that’s allowed some shipping companies to do business in a space of uncertain legality.

Here’s why this podcast matters to you, whether you’re a drinker, business owner, or legal pro: there is a jockeying for power you may not see, with ramifications that you may not know until later, about a future that is increasingly blurry as drinks and drinks businesses explore new ways to make a buck. What you hear from Kate will matter to you, whether you’re thinking about it now or seeing it later.

And with that in mind, I should also note that Kate and I are doing this kind of deep dive regularly for Good Beer Hunting’s Sightlines+ newsletter, which is an extension of our newsy Sightlines coverage and has a goal of combining objective data and reporting to help industry pros make informed decisions about managing a portfolio, access to market, and more. You can learn more at goodbeerhunting.com/sightlines-premium.