Mich. Comp. Laws § 436.1536 — MI Code / Chapter 436 / Act Act-58-of-1998 / Section 436.1536
Multiple manufacturing licenses; eligibility requirements; operating multiple tasting rooms; compliance requirements; limitations; sale of alcoholic liquor under certain circumstances; samples; earmark for liquor control enforcement and license investigation revolving fund; local approval exceptions; samples of mixed spirit drink.
Status: in_force

Sec. 536.

(1) Except as provided in section 105(13), the commission shall allow a person to be licensed as more than 1 type of manufacturer in this state.

(2) A person that holds more than 1 type of manufacturing license in this state shall meet all applicable provisions of this act for each type of manufacturing license the person holds.

(3) Subject to the requirements of this section and section 537, the commission may approve a licensed manufacturer to operate 1 or more tasting rooms.

(4) Brewers and micro brewers shall not have more approved tasting rooms than allowed in section 411.

(5) A tasting room may be jointly operated by 2 or more manufacturers if either of the following conditions is met:

(a) The manufacturers are owned by the same person and their manufacturing premises share the same address.

(b) The manufacturers are not owned by the same person and their manufacturing premises do not share the same address.

(6) A tasting room is treated as licensed premises for purposes of this act.

(7) An approved tasting room located on the manufacturing premises of 1 or more manufacturers that are owned by the same person and whose manufacturing premises share the same address must comply with all of the following:

(a) The commission must approve and issue an on-premises tasting room permit to the manufacturer or manufacturers.

(b) The manufacturer or manufacturers must pay the $100.00 initial permit fee, which is renewable annually.

(c) The manufacturer or manufacturers must be approved for the on-premises tasting room permit by the local legislative body in which the proposed licensed premises will be located, except in a city having a population of 600,000 or more or as provided in subsection (18).

(d) The manufacturer or manufacturers must comply with the server training requirements of section 906.

(e) The manufacturer or manufacturers must file with the commission proof of financial responsibility providing security for liability under section 801(2) of not less than $50,000.00 as provided in section 803.

(f) A separate on-premises tasting room permit is not required for each license type for a person licensed by the commission under any combination of brewer, micro brewer, wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, brandy manufacturer, or mixed spirit drink manufacturer licenses issued to that person at the same manufacturing premises.

(g) The commission shall not issue to a manufacturer or manufacturers a Sunday sales permit, catering permit, dance permit, entertainment permit, specific purpose permit, extended hours permit, or authorization for outdoor service unless the commission has issued an on-premises tasting room permit to the manufacturer or manufacturers. A Sunday sales permit, catering permit, dance permit, entertainment permit, specific purpose permit, extended hours permit, or authorization for outdoor service may be issued concurrently with the issuance of an on-premises tasting room permit.

(h) A brewer, micro brewer, wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, brandy manufacturer, or mixed spirit drink manufacturer may own and operate a restaurant or allow another person to operate a restaurant as part of the on-premises tasting room on the manufacturing premises. If the brewer, micro brewer, wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, brandy manufacturer, or mixed spirit drink manufacturer allows another person to operate a restaurant on the manufacturing premises, the brewer, micro brewer, wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, brandy manufacturer, or mixed spirit drink manufacturer must hold a participation permit naming as a participant the other person. The other person must meet the requirements for a participant in R 436.1041(3) of the Michigan Administrative Code.

(8) Subject to subsection (10), an approved tasting room located off the manufacturing premises of 1 or more manufacturers, other than a brewer, micro brewer, or mixed spirit drink manufacturer, that are owned by the same person and whose manufacturing premises share the same address must comply with all of the following:

(a) The commission must approve and issue an off-premises tasting room license to the manufacturer or manufacturers.

(b) The manufacturer or manufacturers must pay the $100.00 initial license fee, which is renewable annually.

(c) The manufacturer or manufacturers must be approved for the off-premises tasting room license by the local legislative body in which the proposed licensed premises will be located, except in a city having a population of 600,000 or more or as provided in subsection (18).

(d) The manufacturer or manufacturers must comply with the server training requirements of section 906 at the off-premises tasting room.

(e) The manufacturer or manufacturers must file with the commission proof of financial responsibility providing security for liability under section 801(2) of not less than $50,000.00 as provided in section 803 for the off-premises tasting room.

(f) A separate off-premises tasting room license is not required for each license type for a person licensed by the commission under any combination of wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer licenses issued to that person at the same manufacturing premises.

(g) The commission shall not issue to a manufacturer or manufacturers a Sunday sales permit, catering permit, dance permit, entertainment permit, specific purpose permit, extended hours permit, authorization for outdoor service, or permission to maintain a direct connection to unlicensed premises unless the commission has issued an off-premises tasting room license to the manufacturer or manufacturers. A Sunday sales permit, catering permit, dance permit, entertainment permit, specific purpose permit, extended hours permit, authorization for outdoor service, or permission to maintain a direct connection to unlicensed premises may be issued concurrently with the issuance of an off-premises tasting room license.

(9) Subject to subsection (10), an approved jointly operated tasting room located off the manufacturing premises of 2 or more manufacturers, other than a brewer, micro brewer, or mixed spirit drink manufacturer, that are not owned by the same person and whose manufacturing premises do not share the same address must comply with all of the following:

(a) The commission must approve and issue a joint off-premises tasting room license to each of the manufacturers.

(b) Each manufacturer must pay the $100.00 initial license fee, which is renewable annually.

(c) Each manufacturer must be approved for a joint off-premises tasting room license by the local legislative body in which the proposed licensed premises will be located, except in a city having a population of 600,000 or more or as provided in subsection (18).

(d) Each manufacturer must comply with the server training requirements of section 906 at the jointly operated off-premises tasting room.

(e) Each manufacturer must file with the commission proof of financial responsibility providing security for liability under section 801(2) of not less than $50,000.00 as provided in section 803 for the jointly operated off-premises tasting room.

(f) Any management agreements with an unlicensed manager of the jointly operated off-premises tasting room must comply with the requirements of R 436.1041 of the Michigan Administrative Code and all the manufacturers must hold a participation permit naming as a participant the unlicensed manager. The unlicensed manager must meet the requirements for a participant in R 436.1041(3) of the Michigan Administrative Code.

(g) A Sunday sales permit, dance permit, entertainment permit, specific purpose permit, extended hours permit, authorization for outdoor service, or permission to maintain a direct connection to unlicensed premises may be issued in conjunction with a jointly operated off-premises tasting room. All manufacturers licensed at the jointly operated off-premises tasting room location must hold the same permits, permissions, and authorizations at the location.

(h) A violation of this act or the administrative rules by any manufacturer on the premises of the jointly operated off-premises tasting room is a violation by all the manufacturers licensed at the jointly operated off-premises tasting room.

(10) Approved off-premises tasting rooms or jointly operated off-premises tasting rooms described in subsections (8) and (9) must comply with all of the following:

(a) A wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer may have 1 of the following:

( i ) No more than 5 off-premises tasting room licenses issued under subsection (8) under which alcoholic liquor manufactured by the wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer may be sold by the glass for consumption on the premises or samples may be sold or given away for consumption on the premises as provided in subsection (14)(b) and (c).

( ii ) No more than 5 joint off-premises tasting room licenses issued under subsection (9) under which alcoholic liquor manufactured by the wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer may be sold by the glass for consumption on the premises or samples may be sold or given away for consumption on the premises as provided in subsection (14)(b) and (c).

( iii ) A combination of no more than 5 off-premises tasting room licenses issued under subsection (8) and joint off-premises tasting room licenses issued under subsection (9) under which alcoholic liquor manufactured by the wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer may be sold by the glass for consumption on the premises or samples may be sold or given away for consumption on the premises as provided in subsection (14)(b) and (c).

( iv ) No more than the equivalent number of off-premises tasting room licenses issued under subsection (8), joint off-premises tasting room licenses issued under subsection (9), or a combination of off-premises tasting room licenses issued under subsection (8) and joint off-premises tasting room licenses issued under subsection (9) that were issued before October 1, 2018 under which alcoholic liquor manufactured by the wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer may be sold by the glass for consumption on the premises or samples may be sold or given away for consumption on the premises as provided in subsection (14)(b) and (c).

(b) Notwithstanding the limitation in subdivision (a), a wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer may have any number of off-premises tasting room licenses or joint off-premises tasting room licenses under which alcoholic liquor manufactured by the wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer may only be sold or given away as samples for consumption on the premises as provided in subsection (14)(d).

(c) A wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer must designate at the time of application whether the tasting room location for which the off-premises tasting room license or the joint off-premises tasting room license application is being made will sell by the glass as provided in subdivision (a) or provide only samples as provided in subdivision (b). The designation made for the off-premises tasting room license or the joint off-premises tasting room license must not be changed after the license has been issued.

(d) All wine makers, small wine makers, distillers, small distillers, or brandy manufacturers licensed at the same approved jointly operated off-premises tasting room must have an identical designation under subdivision (c).

(e) A wine maker, small wine maker, distiller, small distiller, or brandy manufacturer that has an off-premises tasting room or jointly operated off-premises tasting room location that was approved by the commission before December 19, 2018 must submit to the commission in writing a designation as required under subdivision (c) by April 1, 2019.

(11) A wine maker, small wine maker, brewer, micro brewer, distiller, small distiller, brandy manufacturer, or mixed spirit drink manufacturer may add a nonalcoholic mixing ingredient or an alcoholic mixing ingredient manufactured by the wine maker, small wine maker, brewer, micro brewer, distiller, small distiller, brandy manufacturer, or mixed spirit drink manufacturer to sampled or purchased alcoholic liquor if the sampled or purchased alcoholic liquor is consumed on the premises of the approved tasting room.

(12) A manufacturer is not a retailer under this act merely because the manufacturer has a tasting room.

(13) A manufacturer with an approved tasting room may sample and sell alcoholic liquor only as specifically allowed in this act.

(14) A manufacturer may do all of the following:

(a) Sell alcoholic liquor it manufactured for consumption off the premises in an approved tasting room under subsections (7) to (9).

(b) Subject to subsection (10)(a), sell alcoholic liquor it manufactured by the glass for consumption on the premises of an approved tasting room under subsections (7) to (9).

(c) Subject to subsection (10)(a), sell or give away samples of any size of alcoholic liquor it manufactured for consumption on the premises of an approved tasting room under subsections (7) to (9).

(d) Subject to subsection (10)(b), sell or give away samples of alcoholic liquor it manufactured for consumption on the premises of an approved tasting room under subsections (8) and (9) under all of the following conditions:

( i ) A wine maker or small wine maker may offer samples of wine that do not exceed 3 ounces per sample.

( ii ) A brandy manufacturer may offer samples of brandy that do not exceed 1/2 ounce per sample.

( iii ) A distiller or small distiller may offer samples of spirits or mixed drinks that do not exceed 1/2 ounce per sample.

(15) An on-premises tasting room permit issued under subsection (7) and an off-premises tasting room license issued under subsection (8) may be held in conjunction at the same location by the same person if either of the following conditions is met:

(a) The person holds the on-premises tasting room permit issued under subsection (7) in conjunction with a brewer or micro brewer license only and no other manufacturing license, and the off-premises tasting room license issued under subsection (8) at the same location.

(b) Both of the following conditions are met:

( i ) The person holds an on-premises tasting room permit issued under subsection (7) in conjunction with a micro brewer, small distiller, or small wine maker license, or any combination of micro brewer, small distiller, or small wine maker licenses, and the off-premises tasting room license issued under subsection (8) at the same location.

( ii ) The commission issued to the person both the permit and applicable licenses described in subparagraph ( i ), or their equivalent at the time of issuance, before October 1, 2018.

(16) A manufacturer issued a license before December 19, 2018 that intends to sell for consumption off its licensed premises or sell, serve, and allow consumption on its licensed premises of alcoholic liquor as allowed under this section and section 537 must comply with this section by April 1, 2019.

(17) The revenue received from subsection (7) must be deposited into the liquor control enforcement and license investigation revolving fund under section 543(9).

(18) Local approval under subsection (7)(c), (8)(c), or (9)(c) is not required for a tasting room that was in existence before December 19, 2018.

(19) A small distiller or distiller that also holds a mixed spirit drink manufacturer license may do all of the following:

(a) Sell mixed spirit drink it manufactured for consumption off the licensed premises of an approved tasting room under subsections (8) and (9).

(b) Subject to subsection (10)(a), sell mixed spirit drink it manufactured for consumption on the premises of an approved tasting room under subsections (8) and (9).

(c) Subject to subsection (10)(a), sell or give away samples of any size of mixed spirit drink it manufactured for consumption on the premises of an approved tasting room under subsections (8) and (9).

(d) Subject to subsection (10)(b), sell or give away samples that do not exceed 3 ounces per sample of mixed spirit drink it manufactured for consumption on the premises of an approved tasting room under subsections (8) and (9).

History: Add. 2018, Act 408, Imd. Eff. Dec. 19, 2018; Am. 2019, Act 131, Imd. Eff. Nov. 21, 2019; Am. 2020, Act 126, Imd. Eff. July 1, 2020; Am. 2021, Act 20, Imd. Eff. June 3, 2021