Spirited Discussions: A Podcast by Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services

Voices From Control Systems Across the Country

• Jocelyn Rawat • Season 1 • Episode 12

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How do control systems balance great selection, fair pricing, and public health while still celebrating local flavor? Host Jocelyn Rawat set up in Bethesda at the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association's Administrators Conference with leaders from across the country to share what’s working—from smarter stores and faster delivery to regional spirits and traditions that tell a story. Guests reveal answers to some compelling questions, including: Does Prohibition still influence today's spirits? Which monsters make the best drinks? And who stole the huckleberries?

Announcer:

Welcome to Spirited Discussions, a podcast by Alcohol Beverage Services, exploring alcohol products, trends, and policies in Montgomery County.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Thanks for joining us. I'm your host, Jocelyn Rowat. We're doing something a little different in this episode. We're recording from the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association's Administrators Conference, which this year is being held in Bethesda. And that means that professionals from alcohol control systems all over the country have convened to learn about new tools and to share best practices. And that makes this the perfect opportunity to get perspectives on alcohol products, trends, and policies from across the country. So we're pleased to welcome lots of guests to this episode of Spirited Discussions. And we're going to start with Maggie Barchine, who is the Director of Communications for the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, which we all affectionately refer to NABCA. So hi Maggie. Hi, how are you? Good. So it's really good to be here in Bethesda. Can you tell us what NABCA is?

Maggie Batchine:

Okay, so like you said, National Alcohol Beverage Control Association. And what all of that means is we are a trade association, we're non-advocacy, and we represent control systems across the United States. And so there are 18 jurisdictions. We distinguish with jurisdictions because Montgomery County is unique in that the state of Maryland is what is known as a licensed state or an open state. And within Maryland, the county, because of the population that you guys have, um, standalone. And so you have that status with NABCA. So 18 control systems across the United States. Not all systems have retail. So about seven of our members have a wholesale and a retail component. The rest take ownership of beverage alcohol at the wholesale level. And then they would have private retail stores kind of sell the product. But those private stores would buy the product from the state itself. So a government agency that takes ownership of beverage alcohol in the business transaction cycle is kind of how I define what a control system is, in addition to how it relates to NABCA.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right. That sounds like a perfect definition to me. Let's see what our colleagues have to say about it. Okay, perfect. Awesome. All right, it's gonna be fun.

Chip Jones:

My name's Chip Jones. I'm with the Mississippi Department of Revenue, and we are known as the hospitality state.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Hospitality state, then we're in the right place. All right. Well, since you're the hospitality state, tell me, do you have a good cocktail recipe that is specific to Mississippi?

Chip Jones:

We do. We have a cocktail that's called bee sting, which is kind of like a bee's knees if you've heard of that cocktail before. But this one uses a little bit of jalapeno. So you you take equal parts honey and water, make a syrup with that, and then you take lemon juice. We use Cathead vodka. That's a vodka that's produced in Mississippi. And then you muddle the lemon juice with a jalapeno slice, and then you add it to a shaker and and pour it over ice.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

So does it does it taste spicy?

Chip Jones:

A little bit, but not... you get a little bit of the smell and then a little bit on the on the back end, but it's the lemon juice really mellows it out, so it's very delicious. You should try it.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

And what what might I want to eat it with?

Chip Jones:

I don't know. The first thing I thought of was caramel popcorn for some reason. So the sweet and the spicy. Yeah, yeah, because it's yeah, it gives you just something else to kind of bring out the flavors in it.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right. I feel like I need to come to Mississippi. Thank you, Chip.

Chip Jones:

All right, thank you.

Tyler Ackerson:

My name's Tyler Ackerson. I'm the legislative liaison for the Iowa Department of Revenue. The Department of Revenue is responsible for not only tax administration in our state, but alcoholic beverage regulation as well.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay. Well, even though I'm in Montgomery County, I've actually been to your state because I lived in your state, but I was too young to drink alcoholic beverages. So I don't remember what Iowans are drinking. So can you give us a heads up?

Tyler Ackerson:

Well, I think some would say that the state alcoholic beverage of choice is Busch Light. I I don't have the stats to say that you know we drink the most, but it's a very popular beverage. And I recall an incident in 2017, I think, where we one of our college football teams was in a bowl game and uh was traveling, I think it might have been in Memphis, and we have very loyal college football fans. Um and they apparently drank this bar out of B usch Light entirely. But you know, that while that is a popular beverage, I would say that folks that come to Iowa, first of all, folks should come to Iowa, you know. I think folks should disregard the stereotype of us being a flyover state. Uh I think we have a lot of cool things going on that people would really enjoy. And and one of those is our native, what we call native manufacturing industry. So our in-state distillers, breweries, and wineries. They are a fantastic group of entrepreneurs who are really doing cool stuff and putting out high-quality products that people not only enjoy, but are also award-winning. I mean, we've we've placed in in national competitions or judging uh panels for these various types of beverages. So I think and and we also our economic development agency also has a passport. So you can not only come to Iowa very easily, but you can have it all laid out in this passport of the different manufacturers to visit. So I would encourage people to to come visit us and and give us a try.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Awesome. Iowa, a craft beverage destination. Thank you, Tyler.

Tyler Ackerson:

Thank you.

Jackie DeGenova:

My name is Jackie DeGenova, and I am the superintendent of the Division of Liquor Control in Ohio.

Lorraine Terry:

Ohio. Hi, Lorraine Terry, vice president of the Jobs Ohio Beverage System. I operate publicly as Ohio Liquor with the Division of Liquor Control. O. H. I.O.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right, Jackie. With about a quarter of the U.S. operating as a control jurisdiction, why do you think communities are continuing to choose this model?

Jackie DeGenova:

So the control model, it's tried and tested. Every state has a level of control that's been around since prohibition, so nearly a hundred years. And I think consumers understand and have come to value the fact that it's consistent, it's reliable, they understand the messaging of a balance of enforcement, um, a bare a balance of fair selling, uh, a responsibility messaging with consumption. So all of those things that consumers understand that they can rely on with their state, I think that's the main reason. They have the understanding that someone is out there regulating the manufacture, distribution, and sale of alcoholic beverages. And in addition to that, you know, making sure that there's a public health messaging responsible consumption, mitigating your risks. Uh we partner with organizations. So I think that is one reason why the community responds. And it's really the same reason why suppliers respond. They know that there will be fair selling, they know that we will be a partner to work with them on legislative issues. We're all kind of rowing in the same direction. Uh we know that the revenue that's generated from alcohol sales benefits economic development and you know taxes. It may vary by state, but I think there's a universal message there.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

I totally agree. You know, it's absolutely reliable. So, Lorraine, what what trends are you seeing in the alcohol industry?

Lorraine Terry:

Yeah, great question. Um, so I've actually only been in the industry about 10 years, and over the past 10 years, I have seen a huge amount of change. Um, at the conference, here at the NABCA conference, we've heard a lot about our current struggles, right? Health and wellness, THC, cannabis, you know, where are the sales going? But over the past 10 years, and what I've seen in the control jurisdictions has been a focus on innovation, a focus on communicating with our consumers, on a focus on partnering with suppliers to grow brands, not just sell bottles. I have seen a true focus on how do we make a control state, a control jurisdiction current and modern and right where our consumer wants us to be. So the past 10 years has been a lot of change in Ohio, especially. We've overhauled our distribution systems, we've overhauled the way in which we communicate to our consumers. We launched an app this summer, first time ever. So really excited about that. And again, that's just a testament to those trends. We are trying to skate where the puck is going, I think is the phrase. It's where our consumers are heading. They want to be able to, you know, find the bottles they want to find on our shelves when they want to find it, and uh in a way that they want to look for it online, email, physically in the stores. So lots of really great innovation over the past 10 years.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Yeah, I've been in in this industry about the same as you, and it's amazing how much has changed in just that short period of time. Okay, Ohio, thank you. Thank you.

Wendy Gregorio:

Hi, I'm Wendy Gregorio. I'm from Wyoming.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Wyoming. Is this your first time coming to Montgomery County?

Wendy Gregorio:

Yes, I believe I've been through here before, but I've never actually stopped in Bethesda proper. So it's really awesome. I'm really enjoying my time here. It's definitely a paradigm shift from my state. Wyoming is the least populated state in the whole United States.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

So the whole state has fewer people than Montgomery County, right?

Wendy Gregorio:

Yeah, absolutely. So I believe our population this year is like 561,000. And I think that there's double that. And just for reference, that means uh that we have fewer people in a state so large that it could fit Maryland in it eight times. Eight times.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Yeah, about 1.1 million here in Montgomery County.

Wendy Gregorio:

Wow.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Wow. Okay, so we're we're talking about a really big difference. But that's what makes this fun. So why do you think that the control model is working so well in Wyoming?

Wendy Gregorio:

So as I mentioned, our state is very large. It is also very geographically diverse. So we have mountains, we have deserts, we have plains, and we have a lot of small retail stores. Wyoming controls at the wholesale level, and so we sell to liquor licensees, aka retailers. And those retailers are all not always in the easiest locations to get to, and some of them never even see a salesperson in a year. So the Wyoming Liquor Division, our distribution is pretty amazing because we bring everything into our warehouse in Cheyenne, and then we are able to offer next day delivery to all of our liquor licensees, no matter their location, and they all get it at the same price, and I'm really proud of that.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Yeah, so that's some nice service for the wide open spaces.

Wendy Gregorio:

Yep.

Lori Murphy:

All right, thank you, Wendy. Thanks. Hi, I'm Lori Murphy. I'm the director of retail for Virginia. I have been working there for 29 years, and I absolutely love it. So it's just an amazing company to work for.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

So our neighbor right across the river. What's new in Virginia?

Lori Murphy:

We launched a new concept store that's going to improve the customer experience overall. It improves our category signage, the flow of the store, it makes it easier to access new items, grab and go items, and strike zones. Um, we're catering to the customer, so we do city-related featured end caps. So it's all of the distilleries in that city. Have fun. It's so exciting. Um, a new tasting area that has a lot of different pieces where they roll out so that we can have it throughout the store. We can actually have two different tasting zones, and we just keep improving as we go. Um, we do a lot of different safety components and new features that we're trying to ensure our employee and customer safety throughout our stores, um, as well as showing them our new education platform. So we have a rolling deck that goes in our store that they can actually watch and understand what a control state is all about and what our education platform is.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Nice. And Virginia's wine country too, so I bet you have a lot of nice local products in your stores.

Lori Murphy:

We do, absolutely.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay. All right, thank you, Virginia. Thank you.

David Marvin:

I'm David Marvin. I'm from the Michigan Liquor Control Commission.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right, so if we from Montgomery County oing to are g come and visit Michigan, what can we expect?

David Marvin:

Well, I'm going to default to our state motto. I'm going to only talk about it in English because the Latin is really hard. It is "if you seek a pleasant peninsula, look about you." And Michigan, if you have ever looked at a map, we look like a high five, we've got a hand, and I don't know what the other one is. We always come with our our two hands, make a wonderful map of Michigan. We have amazing things to see in Michigan. Um we we've got the Great Lakes. You can there's you're never too far away from water. We've got places like Detroit and Grand Rapids, metro areas that are have just amazing things to see, museums and history. But then we have everything else.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

You know, I remember ... I've been to Michigan quite a few times. I was born in Michigan, and what I really remember is swimming in Lake Superior, which, you know, a lot of people do in that, it's freezing.

David Marvin:

Well, Lake Superior stays warmer a lot longer in the year. Uh a couple years ago, in October in Marquette, it was a 90-degree day, which hit a record. But Michigan has the winter, wonderful winter sports that we have: snowmobiling and snowshoeing and skiing. Uh the summer, summer is just amazing with all the you mentioned uh swimming. We've got those Great Lakes, and a lot of inland lakes too. You're never very far from water. We've got backpacking and hiking and biking and all of the cultural stuff that you can see, museums and historic spots that we've got around the uh the state. And and the alcohol beverage industry in Michigan plays right into that. We've got a large agritourism industry in Michigan where it's it's farm to table. We've got amazing wineries, we've got distilleries that use primarily Michigan-based grains, and it's just a fascinating place to come and see and enjoy and have a good meal, have a good drink with friends, travel around and see just all the amazing things that you can see in the Great Lakes State.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right, road trip to Michigan. Thank you so much.

David Marvin:

We would love to have you there. Thank you.

John Brady:

I'm John Brady, I'm from the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission. I'm the director of communications. Uh, fun fact about Oregon is that our state bird is the Meadowlark, and we're building a new warehouse in Canby, and we're calling it Project Meadowlark.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Oh, fun. Okay, so how long have you been at this organization?

John Brady:

I've been there, I'm coming up on my first year. Um, so I've been in communications for almost two decades now, but this is the first time I've ever done alcohol and cannabis communications, so it's very new.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay, so something we all experience when we come into this industry is wow, there's a lot of unusual stuff. So what's something strange that you've seen?

John Brady:

Yeah, so the probably the most interesting thing was I was maybe a week or so on the job, and the executive director took me for a tour. Our offices are located also where our warehouse is, and so he showed me where the warehouse is. We actually have two warehouses, but he showed me where the warehouse was, and I had never realized that all of the liquor in the state of Oregon is in one place. And so he took me to where the the warehouse where it comes in. And as I tell people, it's like the end of Indiana Jones, or the, you know, where they go into the warehouse and they're hiding the what is it, the covenant. Yeah, and all you see are like shelves and shelves, and that's what it is, is like shelves and shelves of liquor, and I still can't get over that.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Yeah, that's an eye-opening experience. Okay, so if you're fairly new, then this is also your first time coming to a NABCA conference. So have you learned anything interesting?

John Brady:

I have. I was actually I was lucky enough to be on a panel, and we talked about the balancing public health messaging and also talking about the enjoyment of alcohol or the consumption of alcohol, and where do you find that balance? And we had some great panelists, and one of the things I learned is one of the panelists is from an organization that does a lot of work with influencers on you know social media and stuff like that. We were thinking about doing some of the same stuff in Oregon, and it was just really interesting to hear how they approached those influencers, how they did a lot of research, and how they actually also trained the influencers. So that was really interesting. And then the other interesting thing was we had a panelist from the Center for Alcohol Policy, and we were talking about you know, how does the atmosphere, sort of the political conversation and you know, fragmentation and polarization, how does that affect your communications? And she talked about how if you actually look at attitudes about alcohol, Americans aren't actually polarized. There's actually a surprising amount of unity around the necessity for moderation, the importance of regulation and things like that. So that was really surprising and I thought really insightful.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Yeah, yeah, it is interesting. Okay, so since you're from Oregon, you have traveled a very long way, so thank you for coming so far, and hopefully we'll be coming out to Oregon soon.

John Brady:

You're more than welcome. All right, thank you. Thank you.

Shawn Kelly:

My name Shawn Kelly, I'm the press secretary for the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. I've been there for 12 years, and I guess one of my many claims to fame is I was one of the one of the people who was on camera and on radio the most during COVID. It was like the governor, it was our Secretary of Health, and then probably me. Oh I don't say that to brag, but everybody wanted to know what was happening with alcohol. Everybody wanted to know when are the stores reopening, what about this curbside pickup, what's going on with the website. So yeah, I was I was everywhere.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay, and now we've got you here at our podcast table.

Shawn Kelly:

It's my pleasure to be here.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right. So Pennsylvania is not too far away, so we might take a quick road trip, especially with the holidays coming up. Uh, what might we drink while we're there?

Shawn Kelly:

Well, you you're picking a good state to go to. Pennsylvania has such a history when it comes to alcoholic beverages. William Penn, the the person for whom Pennsylvania is named, he planted the first vineyard in the state in 1683 in Philadelphia. Philadelphia was home to a lot of taverns that were responsible for fomenting some of the dissent that occurred during the Revolutionary War. After the Revolutionary War, you have the whiskey rebellion out in western Pennsylvania. Farmers there who distilled their own products were very upset with taxation, so they led a little rebellion. And then one of the things that Pennsylvania is very well known for is Yingling. Yingling beer. 1829, Pottsville, Pennsylvania, in the heart of coal country. I grew up about 30 minutes away from from the Yingling Brewery. My friends' parents drank it. I would see it in garages when I was a kid. And it was always interesting to me when people in other states would say, Yingling, where's where's Yingling? And even now, when I see Yingling go to another state, it it's big news. And for me, it's old hat. It's just that's coal region, Pennsylvania. So one of the other things that Pennsylvania's Coal Region has given is uh something called Boilo.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay.

Shawn Kelly:

Which is Boil plus the letter O. So it's Boilo.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Yeah. I wanted to pronounce it differently. There you go.

Shawn Kelly:

That's okay. That's all right. Um, just don't do it there because you might get laughed out of the fire hall. It's whiskey, a blended whiskey, and then you add in stuff. Citrus, generally lemon or orange, probably the peel, but some people do it different ways. Water or ginger ale or some mix thereof. Then spices like cloves or cinnamon or allspice or cardamom. Uh, and then it it goes oh, and honey. You can't forget the honey. You put it in a pot, you put it on the stove, you bring it up to a boil. Boilo.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay. Um it doesn't explode, does it?

Shawn Kelly:

Uh there have been instances if the pot boils over and you have the whiskey go into the flame that it could combust. It's interesting because this is such a a Pennsylvania thing. Um, I generally don't plug products and we generally don't pr plug products at the PLCB. But if you're making Boilo the right way, you have to use a particular type of whiskey.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay.

Shawn Kelly:

It's called Four Queens.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

And that's local?

Shawn Kelly:

It's not. It's from well, it's from Philadelphia. It's not Schuylkill County, but it's we in our in our Coal Region stores, we will put out a pallet of Four Queens to buy. Uh we sell one-fifth of the amount that we sell for the entire year for the entire state in one county in Pennsylvania in two months. That tells you how popular Four Queens is when it comes to making this product.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

And what does it taste like?

Shawn Kelly:

Well, it depends on whose you whose you try, and this is where things get interesting. You could find recipes online, you could you could kind of mess around with it and figure it out. People have their own recipes, and they are very, very, very protective of those recipes. Because there are competitions. You know, a fire hall will have a boilo competition on a Saturday, and they'll have different samples for people to taste, and then they decide which one they say which ones they like, and yeah, it's it's very competitive.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

I can't wait for a taste test.

Shawn Kelly:

Yeah, I can tell you a boilo is believed to have medicinal properties. Like a hot toddy. You serve it as hot as you can drink it. I can tell you that one time when I was sick and I was going to a holiday gathering, I didn't want to go. They're like, we'll have boilo. Uh okay. They poured me a mug of boilo, and uh it went down real hot. Real hot. And I needed transportation home because please drink responsibly. Um but by the next morning, sinuses were clear, the phlegm was clear, it really did kind of work all the way through the system. It does, it does have this amazing thing. I don't know if it's a combination of the alcohol and the honey or the citrus, but whatever it is, it works magic on your system.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right. The next time I have a cold, it'll be a road trip to Pennsylvania. you, Shawn.

Shawn Kelly:

Sure.

Dacia English:

Hi, my name Dacia English. I am with the State of Montana, Department of Revenue Cannabis and Alcohol Regulation Division.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Welcome Dacia. I hear that there is a liquor that is quite delicious that is specific to Montana. Did did I hear correctly?

Dacia English:

Yes, actually, it is so delicious. It is a huckleberry whiskey, and it is made by one of our local distilleries up by Glacier National Park. And what they have to do is they have to go out and handpick all of the huckleberries that they use for this whiskey every single year. And granted, huckleberry season is only July through like July 15th through September 15th. So depending on when they're ripe and when they're, you know, they have to figure out when they need to go out, and they have to avoid the competition too, which are bears.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Oh. I wasn't expecting that. Okay, and then what do they do with it?

Dacia English:

Then they mash it and then they put it in with the whiskey, and then they basically flavor it with the actual berries. And then they bottle it.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

That sounds delicious. And do they normally drink it straight or do they... is it usually with a mixer?

Dacia English:

It's both. Yeah. You can use a mixer. You can do it straight. I do it straight.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Neat. All right. Well, I'm glad that folks are picking the huckleberries for me because I don't want to compete with the bears, but it sounds wonderful. Okay. Thank you so much.

Dacia English:

Thank you.

EJ Powers:

Hi, I'm EJ Powers. I'm a spokesman for the New Hampshire Liquor Commission from the "live free or die" state of New Hampshire.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay. Hi, welcome, EJ. Um, so we talked earlier about about a quarter of the country is actually in a control jurisdiction. So why do you think that communities are still making this choice and why is it working for them?

EJ Powers:

I think it's the public benefit. So New Hampshire just celebrated its 90th anniversary. Uh we launched a year-long campaign, 90 years of cheers. Uh, and we've been providing customers with an unbe unbeatable selection of products at some of the lowest prices in the country uh for that time. And what's most important is that um over the course of 90 years, we've generated over 4.7 billion dollars uh that's gone back to the state. That's a lot of money. Yeah, to help support essential state services. So very proud of the work we do while also offering customers just uh an incredible selection of products.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay, so so considering where you are geographically, what's your what's your customer base like?

EJ Powers:

So we have 12 million customers that visit from across North America, and what's important to know is that 50% of our business are from outside of the state of New Hampshire. So New Hampshire borders Vermont, Maine, and Massachusetts. About a quarter of our customers come from Massachusetts. We have stores all along our borders, and we really encourage out-of-state shoppers to come and purchase our products because uh they get a great selection and they get some of the lowest prices in the country. New Hampshire is a state that relies on tourism. Uh we have a beautiful four seasons that people can come and enjoy, and we hope that they stop in our stores uh on their way to their destination and when they're going home.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

And that's a great benefit for your community too.

EJ Powers:

It sure is.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Great for shoppers, great for your community.

EJ Powers:

Whether or not you shop at a liquor and wine outlet, everybody in the state of New Hampshire benefits.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Awesome.

Michelle Schmitt:

All right, thank you, EJ.

EJ Powers:

Thank you.

Michelle Schmitt:

I'm Michelle Schmitt, and I live in Utah. I come to Montgomery County with breaking news. Breaking news from Utah, you can get a drink in Utah. There are many places to get drinks in Utah. Um, you just have to be aware of a couple quirky things. For instance, you cannot buy wine in the grocery store. That's something that a lot of people are surprised to find if they're visiting our state. You do need to buy wine and a lot of beer, any beer that's above a 5% ABV, you need to go to a state liquor store to buy that. Um, you can get beer and other seltzers at grocery store and convenience stores. But we also have a really robust um local producer scene, so you can get locally made Utah products that whiskies, vodkas, gins, etc., a large craft brewery scene as well.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Oh, nice. Yeah. So Utah has a fairly large non-drinking population. Is that right? And how does that play into your system?

Michelle Schmitt:

Um well, I think one thing is we just need to be really sensitive to the fact that there are a lot of people who who are not consumers. They don't they don't consume alcohol, they're not part of that that culture of consumption. Um but something we always want to remind all Utah's is that they benefit from what we do at the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Services, um, regardless if they drink alcohol or not, and that's because we help to keep taxes low for all Utah's by the revenue that we generate that goes right back into state and local programming.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right, and thank you for that reminder because we like to make that reminder too. All right, thank you for coming. Yeah, thank you.

Gig Robinson:

I'm Gig Robinson with the West Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay, hi Gig. So, West Virginia, our neighbor, and also I think kind of popularized in movies and literature. We tend to think of moonshine and that kind of history with West Virginia. You know, how accurate is that?

Gig Robinson:

That would be correct. In the southern part of the state, we have the Hatfields and McCoys.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Yeah.

Gig Robinson:

And so Moonshine is known for that area and continues to be known and has spread out and has become more popular in other parts of the region and other parts of the country.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Yeah, okay. But that's not the only drink you got. You must have some more modern ones.

Gig Robinson:

Well, we do, and when you talk about moonshine, probably the name Devil Ants comes to mind, and we have some actually product neck named after Mr. Ants. And if you go further north towards the outskirts of Pittsburgh, uh you get more kind of like steel workers and and folks can drink Buler makers and and bourbon and beers and things like that. The center part of the state, we have we have several folklore monsters. Okay. And they products are named after alcoholic products are named after those monsters.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

So so who are some of those monsters?

Gig Robinson:

Well, you may have heard of the Mothman Prophecies. That was a movie with uh Richard Gere. And in the late 60s, early 70s, there was a silver bridge that spanned from Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Over to Ohio. And about two weeks before Christmas, that bridge collapsed. And there were lots of people on there. And it was rumored that there was a uh a Mothman type of creature with glowing eyes and wings and all that. That every time there was a disaster, that that person or that monster would be seen. And so, yes, there is actually a beer named after the Mothman. And they actually have a big festival. It happens in Point Pleasant, and it's it's kind of weird, kind of cool. In the center part of the state, we have Braxton County, we have a monster there, Grafton monster. And so beer products and wines and spirits are actually named after these folklore monsters and actually has images on their label.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay, well, all right. So Montgomery County residents who want to go on a monster tour, they should come to West Virginia.

Gig Robinson:

Absolutely. You are welcome to come.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right, lots of other great things to do in West Virginia too.

Gig Robinson:

Yes, yeah, this is the time of year for our Whitewater Rafting, and the bridge day was just this best weekend, and West Virginia has the latest national park, the New River Gorge Bridge, and people base jump off of that. We had 400 people do that last weekend.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Absolutely stunning. All right, thank you, Gig.

Gig Robinson:

Thank you, and thank you for being part of the hosting the National Alcohol Beverage Administrators Conference. All right, you and your director, Kathy Durbin, have done a wonderful job. Thank you.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Thank you.

Jeff Strickland:

Hi, I'm Jeff Strickland, Public Affairs Director for the North Carolina ABC Commission.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay, hi, welcome. Thanks. Um, so tell me about the hospitality industry in North Carolina.

Jeff Strickland:

Yeah, so North Carolina, very popular tourism state. Uh, have a little bit to offer for everybody, you know, whether you're at the beach, the mountains, and everywhere in between, great nightlife. So really it is something for everybody. The state's growing very fast. Um, and with that, we see that you know a lot of trends in the alcohol business. Um, whether that's in the beach, mountains, a little bit for everybody.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

Okay, that sounds good. And you have NASCAR too, right?

Jeff Strickland:

Yes. North Carolina, it's it's it's a long history, but NASCAR really founded started with moonshiners, people who were modifying their cars, trying to make them you know outrun law enforcement, stripping, yeah, stripping out everything inside except for the driver's seat to carry more moonshine. So you know, from those origins to what you see today with these really souped-up stock cars, it's kind of a fun history.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

I had no idea. Okay, and if we ... I think a lot of people travel from Montgomery County to North Carolina, that's a pretty common road trip for us. So what ... what might we drink? Do you have a good recipe for us?

Jeff Strickland:

Again, it depends kind of where you are in the state, what you're doing. Uh but the North Carolina cocktail is the cherry bounce. Uh the way you make it is vodka or cherry vodka, some cranberry juice, lime juice, uh stir that together, and then top it off with club soda and a cherry. So that's sort of the signature cocktail, but again, there's a lot for everybody.

Host Jocelyn Rawat:

All right, that sounds like a cocktail I would love. Yes. All right, Jeff, thank you so much.

Jeff Strickland:

Thank you, Jocelyn.

Announcer:

Alcohol Beverage Services is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine, and spirits for Montgomery County. And it operates neighborhood retail stores. ABS also manages alcohol licensing, enforcement, and education for more than 1,000 businesses. Profits are used to pay for resident services that otherwise would be funded by county tax dollars. This podcast is brought to you by County Cable Montgomery, your source for news and information from the Montgomery County government. Connect with us via cable, Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube by searching for County Cable Moco.