This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A dozen Utah distilleries would be able to host tastings of their products under a bill that passed the House on Tuesday, despite concerns that it could lead to more drinking.
Rep. Gage Froerer's HB228, second substitute, would allow distilleries the ability to give samples of their product, just as wineries and breweries are already allowed to do.
"A lot of these are small mom-and-pop operations," said Froerer, R-Huntsville. "The only way they can survive is to have tastings that allow them to sell their product through their package agency store on site."
But the bill met opposition from members who balked at potentially expanding Utah's liquor laws.
"I just don't think we need to cater to the alcohol industry in this state. I just don't think we do," said Rep. Mike Noel, R-Kanab. "I think we've got family values here. We don't need to keep picking away at these rules."
And Rep. Jack Draxler, R-Logan, said groups that study alcohol policy have said that Utah's liquor laws result in lower rates of underage drinking.
"They tell us over and over, Utah keep control. … Don't strive to be like the rest of the country," he said. "The liberalizing of our alcoholic beverage control is not in the best interest of our state."
Froerer said that the bill limits how much of the spirits can be sampled and caps the number of tastings to one a day. Children are not allowed to be present and food is required to be served.
"This is very restrictive in terms of what it does allow," Froerer said. "Nobody would go into these tastings, go into the manufacturer with the idea of sitting there all day and tasting their drinks."
Froerer's bill passed the House 43-29 and moves to the Senate for consideration.
Twitter: @RobertGehrke