W. Va. Code § 60-7-8E — WV Code / Chapter 60 / Article 7 / Section 8E
§60-7-8e. Private club restaurant or private manufacturer club licensee’s authority to sell craft cocktail growlers.
Status: in_force

(a) Legislative findings. — The Legislature hereby finds that it is in the public interest to regulate, control, and support the brewing, manufacturing, distribution, sale, consumption, transportation, and storage of liquor and its industry in this state to protect the public health, welfare, and safety of the citizens of this state and promote hospitality and tourism. Therefore, this section authorizes a licensed private club restaurant or private manufacturer club, to have certain abilities to promote the sale of liquor manufactured in this state for the benefit of the citizens of this state, the state’s growing distilling industry, and the state’s hospitality and tourism industry, all of which are vital components for the state’s economy.

(b) Sales of craft cocktail growlers. — A licensed private club restaurant or private manufacturer club may under a current and valid license that meets the requirements of this section may offer a craft cocktail growler in the ratio of up to one fluid ounce of liquor to four fluid ounces of nonalcoholic beverages or mixers, not to exceed 128 fluid ounces for the entire beverage in the craft cocktail growler, for retail sale to patrons from their licensed premises in a sealed craft cocktail growler for personal consumption only off of the licensed premises. Prior to the sale, the licensee shall verify in-person, using proper identification, that any patron purchasing the craft cocktail growler is 21 years of age or older and that the patron is not visibly or noticeably intoxicated. There is a $100 non-prorated, non-refundable annual fee to sell craft cocktail growlers.

(c) Retail sales. — Every licensee licensed under this section shall comply with all the provisions of this chapter applicable to retail sale of liquor at retail liquor outlets, shall comply with markup specified in §60-3A-17(e)(2) of this code when conducting sealed craft cocktail growler sales, and is subject to all applicable requirements and penalties in this article.

(d) Payment of taxes. — Every licensee licensed under this section shall pay all sales taxes required of retail liquor outlets, in addition to any other taxes required, and meet any applicable licensing provisions as required by this chapter and by rule of the commissioner.

(e) Advertising. — Every licensee licensed under this section may only advertise a particular brand or brands of liquor manufactured by a distillery, mini-distillery, or micro-distillery upon written approval from the distillery, mini-distillery, micro-distillery, or an authorized and licensed broker to the licensee. Advertisements may not encourage intemperance or target minors.

(f) Craft cocktail growler defined. — For purposes of this chapter, "Craft Cocktail Growler" means a container or jug that is made of glass, ceramic, metal, plastic, or other material approved by the commissioner, that may be no larger than 128 fluid ounces in size and must be capable of being securely sealed. The growler may be used by an authorized licensee for purposes of off-premises sales only of liquor and a nonalcoholic mixer or beverage for personal consumption not on a licensed premise. Notwithstanding any other provision of this code to the contrary, a securely sealed craft cocktail growler is not an open container under state and local law. A craft cocktail growler with a broken seal is an open container under state and local law unless it is located in an area of the motor vehicle physically separated from the passenger compartment. A craft cocktail growler is not an original container of liquor, but once sanitized, filled, properly sealed, and sold, all as set forth in this article, is a sealed container.

(g) Craft cocktail growler requirements. — A licensee licensed under this section shall prevent patrons from accessing the secure area where the filling of the craft cocktail or craft cocktail growler occurs. A licensee licensed under this section shall sanitize, fill, securely seal, and label any craft cocktail growler prior to its sale. A licensee licensed under this section may refill a craft cocktail growler subject to the requirements of this section. A licensee licensed under this section shall visually inspect any craft cocktail growler before filling or refilling it. A licensee licensed under this section may not fill or refill any craft cocktail growler that appears to be cracked, broken, unsafe, or otherwise unfit to serve as a sealed beverage container. For purposes of this article, a secure sealing means using a tamper-evident seal, such as: (1) A plastic heat shrink wrap band, strip, or sleeve extending around the cap or lid of craft cocktail growler to form a seal that must be broken when the container is opened; or (2) A screw top cap or lid that breaks apart when the craft cocktail growler is opened.

(h) Craft cocktail growler labeling. — A licensee licensed under this section selling craft cocktail growlers shall affix a conspicuous label on all sold and securely sealed craft cocktail growlers listing the name of the licensee selling the craft cocktail growler, the brand of the liquor in the craft cocktail growler, the type of craft cocktail or name of the craft cocktail, the alcohol content by volume of the liquor in the craft cocktail growler, and the date the craft cocktail growler was filled or refilled. All labeling on the craft cocktail growler shall be consistent with all federal labeling and warning requirements.

(i) Craft cocktail growler sanitation. — A licensee licensed under this section shall clean and sanitize all craft cocktail growlers he or she fills or refills in accordance with all state and county health requirements prior to its sealing. In addition, the licensee licensed under this section shall sanitize, in accordance with all state and county health requirements, all taps, tap lines, pipe lines, barrel tubes, and any other related equipment used to fill or refill craft cocktail growlers. Failure to comply with this subsection may result in penalties under this article: Provided , That, if the reuse or refilling of a craft cocktail growler would violate federal law such craft cocktail growler may only be used one-time, for one filling, and shall be discarded after the one-time use.

(j) Pre-mixing of craft cocktail. — A licensee licensed under this section may pre-mix the nonalcoholic beverages or mixers in the advance of a craft cocktail growler purchase and sealing, and add the liquor, as set forth in this section, upon a member or guest’s purchase of a craft cocktail growler. A licensee licensed under this section shall dispose of any expired premixed nonalcoholic beverages or mixers pursuant to Bureau for Public Health requirements when such premixed nonalcoholic beverages or mixers are no longer fit for human consumption. A licensee authorized under §60-6-8(7) of this code may use a premixed beverage meeting the requirements of that section and is also subject to the requirements of this section for a craft cocktail growler.

(k) Limitations on licensees. — A licensee licensed under this section shall not sell craft cocktail growlers to other licensees, but only to its members and guests. A licensee licensed under this section shall provide food or a meal along with one sealed craft cocktail growler to a patron who is in-person or in-vehicle while picking up food or a meal, or who dined in-person on food or a meal and has ordered and a sealed craft cocktail growler-to-go, subject to verification that the purchasing person is 21 years of age or older, and not visibly or noticeably intoxicated, and as otherwise specified in this article. A licensee licensed under this section may only sell one sealed craft cocktail growler to a patron or one craft cocktail growler per food or meal in the order delivered per §60-7-8f of this code. A licensee licensed under this section shall be subject to the applicable penalties under this article for violations of this article.

(l) Rules. — The commissioner, in consultation with the Bureau for Public Health, may propose legislative rules concerning sanitation for legislative approval, pursuant to §29A-3-1 et seq . of this code, to implement the purposes of this section.