Title XX, Alcoholic Beverages

No person shall buy, bargain, sell, loan, own, possess or knowingly transport any apparatus designed for the unlawful manufacture of alcoholic beverages.

The following property, even though found and seized in dry territory, is contraband: (1) Any apparatus commonly used or intended to be used in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages and not registered in the office of a collector of internal revenue for the United States. The bu…

Any peace officers, state administrators, and investigators of the department may, upon probable cause, without warrant seize contraband regardless of whether it is in dry territory or not, and hold it subject to the order of the court before which the owner or one in possession …

court -- Destruction of contraband upon conviction of defendant. (1) Title to seized contraband included in KRS 244.180(1), (2), (3), and (4) shall be vested in the appropriate court within whose jurisdiction the seizure occurred, irrespective of whether the contraband was seized…

contraband. (1) Contraband property included in subsection KRS 244.180(5) shall be subject to the right of any owner or lienor, whose lien is valid and of record, to intervene and establish the owner or lienor's rights in the property by proving that the property was being used i…

violation -- Hearing. (1) (a) When the department seizes alcoholic beverages or cannabis-infused beverages, within fourteen (14) days of the seizure it shall provide the licensee with notice of the violation that formed the basis for the seizure under KRS Chapters 241 to 244. (b)…

No person shall knowingly sell any alcoholic product intended for nonbeverage purposes under KRS 243.320, under circumstances from which he or she might reasonably deduce the intention of the purchaser to use it for beverage purposes.

The prohibitions, restrictions and regulations relating to special licenses shall be those which the board may by its regulations and in the exercise of its sound discretion prescribe. For purposes of this section, a special license shall be one that is not set forth in KRS Chapt…

-- Labeling when manufactured outside country. (1) The regulations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in the United States Department of the Treasury, with respect to the labeling and standards of fill of distilled spirits and wine in their original sealed packages, are adopted an…

No wine sold in Kentucky shall contain on its label or elsewhere on the wine's retail container or package the word "Kentucky" or any other word or phrase implying that the origin of the wine is Kentucky, except in the name and address of the winery as required by federal laws or…

premises -- Transactions prohibited -- Discounts in the usual course of business -- Retailer not to demand violation of this section -- Permitted activities. (1) No distiller, rectifier, winery, or wholesaler and no employee, servant, or agent of a distiller, rectifier, winery, o…

administrative regulations. No distiller, rectifier, winery, or wholesaler shall furnish or cause to be furnished to any licensee any exterior or interior sign, printed, painted, electric or otherwise, except as authorized by the administrative regulations of the board.

spirits or wine to be kept by licensees in approved containers. (1) No wholesaler shall purchase, import, keep upon the licensed premises, or sell any distilled spirits or wine in any container except in the original sealed package containing quantities of not less than fifty (50…

Each wholesaler shall have painted on the front window of the licensed premises, or, if there is no window, on a sign affixed to the front of the building containing the licensed premises, the name of the licensee together with the inscription: "Kentucky Wholesaler's Liquor Licen…

No licensee nor any of the licensee's agents, servants, or employees shall peddle any alcoholic beverages from house to house, by any means, where the sale is solicited at the residence or place of business of the consumer. Effective:June 29, 2017

moist territory -- Power of local governments to regulate -- Sunday sales. (1) (a) A licensee authorized to sell distilled spirits or wine at retail shall be permitted to sell and deliver distilled spirits and wine during the hours the polls are open on any primary, or regular, l…

No retailer selling distilled spirits and wine by the package or by the drink shall sell, deliver, or give away, or cause, permit or procure to be sold, delivered, or given away any distilled spirits or wine on credit, except that a bona fide licensed private club, restaurant, or…

No whiskey produced from grains which are cooked, fermented, and distilled in Kentucky, except whiskey the barrel containing which is branded "Corn Whiskey" under the internal revenue laws, shall be bottled in Kentucky or removed from this state unless such whiskey has been aged …

and product names. (1) Every resident and nonresident distiller, rectifier, or winery and nonresident wholesaler who owns, is the primary source of supply, or has an exclusive interest in any particular brands, which are intended for sale or sold in this state, shall be licensed …

after filing brand registration form with department. (1) No licensed wholesaler shall import, buy, offer for sale, or sell any brands offered for sale or sold by any out-of-state distiller, rectifier, winery, supplier, or wholesaler without: (a) Having previously been granted di…

(1) Manufacturers and importers of malt beverages, distilled spirits, and wine may advertise and promote, by specific brand and bottle size, malt beverages, distilled spirits, and wine for off-premises consumption by use of rebate coupons. (2) Except as provided in subsection (3)…

territory -- Power of local governments to regulate -- Sunday sales. (1) Except as permitted by subsection (4) of this section, no brewer or distributor shall deliver any malt beverages on Sunday or between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. on any other day. (2) Except as permitte…

No person shall sell any malt beverage to any person engaged in selling malt beverages in violation of the provisions of KRS Chapters 242, 243 and 244.

(1) Except as permitted by subsection (2) of this section, a licensee shall not offer or give anything tangible of value as a premium, gift, or prize for: (a) The return of caps, stoppers, corks, stamps, wrappers, coupons, or labels taken from any bottle, case, barrel, or package…

Revenue. (1) The department may in its discretion adopt any regulations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in the United States Department of the Treasury relating to labeling and advertising of malt beverages. (2) The adoption of regulations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue in t…

(1) No licensee shall advertise any malt beverage by trade name, trade-mark or in any other manner within one hundred (100) feet of the property line of any school or church. The distance shall be by straight line. (2) Subsection (1) shall not apply to advertisements placed on th…

No person shall fortify, adulterate, contaminate or in any manner change the character or purity of the malt beverages from that as originally marketed by the brewer or sell, deliver or transport malt beverages except in the original containers.

discount prohibited. (1) No brewer or distributor, his agents or employees, shall make any sale or delivery of any malt beverage without a written invoice made concurrently with the sale or delivery, showing prices and conditions upon which the sale or delivery is made; make any …

(1) No brewer or distributor shall be interested in any manner, either directly or indirectly, in the ownership or leasehold of any property or in any mortgage against the property for which a retail license is issued, nor shall a brewer or distributor either directly or indirect…

No brewer, distributor or transporter of malt beverages shall require by agreement or otherwise, directly or indirectly or through an affiliate or subsidiary, that any retailer engaged in the sale of malt beverages, purchase malt beverages from him to the exclusion in whole or in…

territory -- Contract between distributor and supplier. (1) It shall be unlawful for any distributor to sell any brand or product name of malt beverage in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, except in the territory described in a written agreement between the supplier or brewer and dis…

retailers -- Brewer or distributor may furnish advertising matter or cleaning service to retailer -- Retailer not to demand violation of this section -- Sampling events not a violation of this section. (1) No brewer or distributor shall induce through any of the following means a…

No brewer shall induce through any of the following means, any retailer selling malt beverages by the package or drink to purchase any malt beverage products from him or her to the exclusion in whole or in part of malt beverages sold or offered for sale by other persons, if the b…

The General Assembly finds that KRS 244.602 to 244.606 are necessary in order to: (1) Provide an orderly three (3) tier system for the distribution and sale of quality malt beverages in the Commonwealth of Kentucky; (2) Promote the public health, safety, and welfare of the people…

As used in KRS 244.602 to 244.606, unless the context requires otherwise: (1) "Distributor" means any person who distributes or sells at wholesale malt beverages for the purpose of being sold at retail. (2) "Existing distributor" means a distributor who distributes a particular b…

for right to distribute brewer's or importer's malt beverages -- Exception for marketing costs. (1) No brewer or importer of malt beverages shall: (a) Require or request a distributor to pay or convey to the brewer or importer; nor (b) Accept any sum of money; in exchange for the…

Conditions for transfer of brands from brewer or importer -- Conditions for termination -- Duties -- Damages. (1) Every brewer and importer of malt beverages shall contract and agree in writing with each of its distributors to provide and specify the rights and duties of the brew…

244.602 to 244.606 -- Requirements for distribution agreements between microbrewer and distributor. (1) As of June 29, 2021, KRS 244.602 to 244.606 shall not apply to any new distribution agreement, or the renewal of an existing distribution agreement, between a distributor of ma…

Arbitration. In the event the microbrewer and distributor cannot agree on the fair market value as set forth in KRS 244.608(4)(g), then the parties shall arbitrate in accordance with the following: (1) If the parties fail to reach an agreement not later than thirty (30) days afte…

prohibited -- Labeling required. (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of the statutes, confections or candies having a liquid filling or liquid center and containing more than one-half percent (0.5%) but not more than five percent (5%) of alcohol by volume or weight may be sol…

beverage products. No person shall possess, sell, offer for sale, or use any powdered or crystalline alcoholic beverage product.

(1) Any person who, alone or acting through another, directly or indirectly, violates any of the provisions of this chapter for which no other penalty is provided shall, for the first offense, be guilty of a Class B misdemeanor; and for the second and each subsequent violation, t…

(1) A person shall be immune from prosecution for the criminal offenses identified in subsection (2) of this section if: (a) A law enforcement officer has contact with the person because the person: 1. Requests emergency medical assistance for himself or herself or another person…