Following actions by the FDA, the TTB, as well as several states, the Oregon Liquor Control Commission (OLCC) recently announced a temporary ban on the sale of caffeinated alcoholic beverages within the state’s borders. The action, taken during a November 20th special meeting on the issue, will last until May 18, 2011, during which time
California High-Speed Rail: Vineyards in California’s Central Valley Could be Impacted by its Tracks
A legal update from our colleague Stacy Gillespie.
The California High-Speed Rail Authority (“Authority”) will announce at its December 2, 2010 meeting which segment of the 800-mile HSR will be the first to be built. At its November 4, 2010 meeting, the Authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Roelof van Ark, presented the Authority’s Board
Stoel Winery Lawyers Attend Salud!
Last weekend, Stoel winery lawyers attended Salud! and enjoyed visiting with clients and friends at Domaine Drouhin on Friday afternoon and the Governor Hotel on Saturday evening. Proceeds from this year’s Oregon Pinot Noir Auction topped $650,000, a reported 7 percent increase from 2009. Donations help support the Salud! mission of providing Oregon’s seasonal vineyard works
FDA Issues Warning Letters to Manufacturers of Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages
In an update to an earlier blog post, the FDA issued warning letters today to four manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The FDA stated in the letters that caffeine added to malt alcoholic beverages was an “unsafe food additive ” and thus, such products are in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
FDA May Issue Warning on Alcoholic Energy Drinks; States Move to Ban “Blackout in a Can”
Amidst rising incidences of hospitalizations in college and teenage drinkers linked to consumption of alcoholic energy drinks, the Washington State Liquor Control Board banned their sale effective tomorrow, November 18, 2010. The move came on the heels of a request by Washington Governor Christine Gregoire, whose office stated in a November 10 press release that they were “…particularly
Bernie Kipp at Great American Distiller’s Festival
Craft distillers from coast to coast attended the 6th Annual Great American Distiller’s Festival (GADF) on October 23 and 24, 2010 at the Tiffany Center in NW Portland. 38 separate distilleries poured more than 70 gins, vodkas, whiskey’s and rums in a celebration of all things “spirited.”
Special events included seminars for distillers and tours of Portland distilleries. 
Seminar presenters