Bill > SB163

This bill amends existing New Mexico law to allow for the segregated sale of growlers, which are defined as refillable, resealable containers holding up to one gallon of beer, wine, or cider for off-premises consumption. Specifically, it modifies rules for retailers and dispensers (businesses that sell alcohol) whose sales of packaged beverages for off-premises consumption are less than sixty percent of their total sales. The bill mandates that the director of the relevant licensing department create procedures for these segregated sales, including allowing the sale of beer or cider in growlers, providing a process for refilling and sealing growlers with a tamper-proof seal and attaching a customer's receipt, and requiring growlers to be sterilized before refilling. Importantly, this bill clarifies that segregated sales of table wine, defined as wine with fourteen percent or less alcohol by volume (with some exceptions for naturally fermented wines, aged wines, vermouth, and sherry), will not be permitted. The changes are set to take effect on July 1, 2016.