An Act Relating to Liquor Samples
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1. 28-A MRSA §1504 is enacted to read:
§ 1504. Samples of products
A person licensed under section 1502 as a sales representative for a distilled spirits manufacturer or supplier may give a retail licensee samples of distilled spirits under the following conditions.
1. Invoice required. The distilled spirits must be accompanied by an invoice.
2. Product registered. The distilled spirits must be listed by the commission for sale in this State and clearly labeled as a sample.
3. Taxes paid. Taxes must be paid on each item and the distilled spirits must be purchased from the State's wholesale liquor provider.
4. Sampling record. The sales representative who provides the sample shall maintain a log stating the names of the retail licensees who sampled the distilled spirits and the amount sampled.
5. Maximum sample. The maximum amount of samples of distilled spirits given to a retail licensee may not exceed 3 liters per year, and samples must be provided in the smallest container size available for sale in this State and may not exceed one liter.
6. Samples removed. Distilled spirits samples given to an off-premises retailer must be removed from the premises to be sampled.
7. Records maintained. Records of samples given or received under this section must be maintained for a 2-year period by the retail licensee giving or receiving samples.
summary
This bill allows a sales representative for a distilled spirits manufacturer or supplier to give a retail licensee samples of distilled spirits.