Wholesale alcohol rules in Alabama

Whether a producer may sell direct to a retailer here, by beverage class. Each row says how well sourced it is: whether we read the statute ourselves, or are still working from our own notes or a secondary summary.

This is the producer-to-retailer lane. Sales through a licensed wholesaler are the ordinary route and are not what these rows describe. Nothing here is legal advice — it is a record of what we read, published so you can check it.

Acting as a broker is a separate question. Whether you personally need a licence, permit or registration to solicit orders in Alabama — and whether an independent commission broker can be licensed there at all — is answered state by state here.

Alabama is a control state for spirits, wine — the state is the wholesaler for those classes, so there is no private distributor lane in them.

Beer

Closed

Ala. Code 28-3A-6(b) — we have not recorded where to read this, or when it was last checked.

Wine

Open, but conditional

Condition: Qualifying as a small farm winery needs EITHER 50% of production from Alabama-grown fruit or Alabama-harvested honey OR all production in-state plus OWNERSHIP OF AT LEAST EIGHT ACRES OF ALABAMA VINEYARDS; the winery must own the TTB Certificate of Label Approval itself; the 20,000-gal tier needs PROOF THAT TWO SEPARATE WHOLESALERS DECLINED, and acceptance by ANY wholesaler shuts that tier; selling 20,000 gal in one year bars the winery from the lane PERMANENTLY; and delivery must be by the winery own employees in an owned or leased vehicle CARRYING THE WINERY NAME, never an independent contractor.

Producer must make no more than 50,000 gal/yr to qualify
No more than 10,000 gal/yr may move through this lane

Ala. Code 28-6A-2(c)(2) — we have not recorded where to read this, or when it was last checked.

Spirits

Closed

Ala. Code 28-3A-6(b); 28-3A-8 — we have not recorded where to read this, or when it was last checked.

RTD / canned cocktails

Open, but conditional

Condition: An RTD follows its base, and the three bases do not agree here — beer: prohibited, wine: conditional, spirits: prohibited. The order does not carry the base.

Derived from this state's beer, wine and spirits lanes (Ala. Code 28-3A-6(b); Ala. Code 28-6A-2(c)(2); Ala. Code 28-3A-6(b); 28-3A-8)

A class not listed above is one nobody has read yet — not even a secondary summary. It is not a finding that Alabama forbids it. Every row above links the statute it rests on, so you can check the reading for yourself.