Borric
New Member
It seems like I'm starting every post so far with a variation of the phrase "Living in Maine, it's very difficult to find...." This time I'm wondering about alcohol. According to WSWA and GotMead's Excellent (and thorough) shipping laws list, Maine doesn't allow direct shipment of any kind of alcohol to consumers under any circumstances. And the best liquor store in the area is little better than the aisle at the local supermarkets. Not to mention any kind of specialty liquor like Velvet Falernum--this will inevitably entail an illegal run to NH or Mass (if I'm lucky, that is).
First, will (some) domestic stores ship to states like Maine anyway? Internet Wines & Spirits lists us on their "will not ship" list, but out of the sellers recommended by AVB and others in previous posts, I've found two who don't have Maine on their list of forbidden states, and three who simply say that "the title passes to the buyer in CA" or equivalent. I found a reference to this practice in an isolated post on Webtender, but was unable to confirm its veracity. I hesitate to ask the stores themselves; if this is a grey area I don't want to jinx it by asking them such direct questions.
I'm also hoping to import some liquor from Europe. Specifically, I'm interested in obtaining some Liqueur de Violette so I can make myself a Blue Moon. Violet liqueur is not manufactured or distributed in the US, but I think Sally Clarke's in London will ship me a bottle or more of the Benoit-Serres (with $20+ S&H). I'm assuming this would be declared as alcohol, so I probably wouldn't bother trying to ship them to Maine. I have a friend in Oregon who might receive these for me in exchange for a few good Habanos, then repackage and pass them along to me.
As far as I can tell it's legal for my friend to import, but I was wondering what precisely that will entail (i.e. pick-up, forms, taxes/duties) so I can make it as easy as possible for him.
Any tips for packaging and shipping bottles of alcohol?
Also, if Sally Clarke's has changed their policy, my next step is finding someone in the UK who will either go to their shop or receive a mail order, then re-ship it to my friend. I've contacted 4 other distributors in England and The Netherlands, and none are willing to ship to the US. Personally, I don't know any people in the UK. If this extra step becomes necessary, can anyone make a suggestion about how to find a person or business willing to help with this?
Thanks for reading my long-ass post, and thanks for any helpful info or comments!
^_^
First, will (some) domestic stores ship to states like Maine anyway? Internet Wines & Spirits lists us on their "will not ship" list, but out of the sellers recommended by AVB and others in previous posts, I've found two who don't have Maine on their list of forbidden states, and three who simply say that "the title passes to the buyer in CA" or equivalent. I found a reference to this practice in an isolated post on Webtender, but was unable to confirm its veracity. I hesitate to ask the stores themselves; if this is a grey area I don't want to jinx it by asking them such direct questions.
I'm also hoping to import some liquor from Europe. Specifically, I'm interested in obtaining some Liqueur de Violette so I can make myself a Blue Moon. Violet liqueur is not manufactured or distributed in the US, but I think Sally Clarke's in London will ship me a bottle or more of the Benoit-Serres (with $20+ S&H). I'm assuming this would be declared as alcohol, so I probably wouldn't bother trying to ship them to Maine. I have a friend in Oregon who might receive these for me in exchange for a few good Habanos, then repackage and pass them along to me.
As far as I can tell it's legal for my friend to import, but I was wondering what precisely that will entail (i.e. pick-up, forms, taxes/duties) so I can make it as easy as possible for him.
Any tips for packaging and shipping bottles of alcohol?
Also, if Sally Clarke's has changed their policy, my next step is finding someone in the UK who will either go to their shop or receive a mail order, then re-ship it to my friend. I've contacted 4 other distributors in England and The Netherlands, and none are willing to ship to the US. Personally, I don't know any people in the UK. If this extra step becomes necessary, can anyone make a suggestion about how to find a person or business willing to help with this?
Thanks for reading my long-ass post, and thanks for any helpful info or comments!
^_^
