This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Utah brandy distiller is jumping on the retro bandwagon, asking liquor officials to bring back the small 1.75-ounce mini-bottles that were banned in Utah more than two decades ago.
Jay Yahne, owner of Layton's Hive Winery, which specializes in fruit wines, has received federal approval to distill spirits. His first product — a cherry brandy — should be ready later this year, and he wants customers to be able to sample the product before they buy.
Under state law, distilleries are banned from giving samples of their spirits to potential customers. And that edict, said Yahne, hurts sales.
"Because of the inherent costs of high-end spirits," Yahne said, "people don't want to risk $50 or $100 on a bottle of something they've never tried."
If customers were able to buy a mini-bottle to sample at home, he added, "we are convinced they'd come back for more."
On Tuesday, members of the Utah Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control's (DABC) Advisory Committee — a panel of restaurant, bar and tavern owners — expressed support for Yahne's request, which would require approval from the state liquor commission.
"I can't think of a reason not to do it," said board member Peter Coles of Epic Brewing Co.
Fred Boutwell, with Gastronomy restaurants, agreed: "It's a compelling argument."
Allowing some method of customer sampling would equalize the playing field for the growing number of Utah distilleries, Yahne said, because state law allows customers to sample wine and beer at approved manufacturing facilities. Distilleries have attempted to change the law in recent years, but the Legislature has never approved the idea.
Mini-bottles were phased out of the Utah liquor system around 1990, when metering devices were mandated on all liquor bottles to ensure that cocktails contained no more than one ounce of liquor. The law later was changed so that cocktails could contain 1.5 ounces .
Under state law, "bottles smaller than 200 ml are prohibited in Utah unless authorized by the state liquor commission," said Nina McDermott, the DABC's director of compliance and licensing.
The law offers two exceptions to the mini-bottle rule: Airlines are able to sell them on flights, and hotels are allowed to do so through room service.
If the DABC were to make an exception and allow distilleries to produce mini-bottles, Yahne said, visitors also could get a taste of Utah-made liquor products.
"Hotels could sell something besides Jack, Jim and Johnny," Yahne said, referring to the national brands of Jack Daniels, Jim Beam and Johnny Walker. "Shouldn't the Grand America sell Utah products?"
If the state liquor commission approved the use of mini-bottles by the Hive Winery, other Utah distilleries would no doubt want do the same, said advisory committee member Julie Wilson of Deer Valley Resort. "I'm sure they [commission members] will have a lot more requests."