Article 8.

Operation of ABC Stores.

§ 18B-800.  Sale of alcoholic beverages in ABC stores.

(a) Spirituous Liquor. - Except as provided in Articles 10 and 11 of this Chapter, spirituous liquor may be sold only in ABC stores operated by local boards. For purposes of this subsection, the term "sold only in ABC stores operated by local boards" includes online orders placed in accordance with subsection (c3) of this section.

(b) Fortified Wine. - In addition to spirituous liquor, ABC stores may sell fortified wine. ABC stores may also sell wine products, irrespective of alcohol content by volume, which were classified as fortified wine by the ABC Commission prior to July 7, 2004.

(b1) Consumer Specialty Items. - ABC stores may sell branded consumer specialty items such as bottle or can openers, cork screws, muddlers, ashtrays, shopping bags, individual can coolers, drinking glasses, clothing, or key chains that are packaged with a spirituous liquor product. A branded consumer specialty item shall not include a tobacco, vapor, or hemp product or tobacco, vapor, or hemp paraphernalia. The Commission may approve the retail price for a spirituous liquor product packaged by the producer with one or more branded specialty items at a different price than an individual bottle of the same spirituous liquor product. The local board shall not remove a spirituous liquor product packaged by the producer with one or more branded specialty items from the package.

(b2) Gift Cards. - ABC stores may sell physical or electronic gift cards. The ABC store shall not collect sales tax for the sale of the gift card. A gift card may be purchased or redeemed only by a customer 21 years of age or older. A local board or ABC store may not offer a discount on a gift card or value on the gift card in excess of the amount paid by the customer. A gift card may be redeemed at any ABC store operated by the local board from which the gift card was purchased. A gift card sold by an ABC store shall not expire until the funds on the card are exhausted.

(b3) Barrels. - An ABC store may sell empty barrels or parts of barrels received from a distiller in which spirituous liquors were aged, provided that the local board also purchased the spirituous liquor aged in the barrel.

(c) Commission Approval. - No ABC store may sell any alcoholic beverage which has not been approved by the Commission for sale in this State.

(c1) Special Orders of Special Items. - Through the process established by rule of the Commission for special orders of spirituous liquor that are on the special item list approved by the Commission, ABC stores shall allow the purchase of individual bottles of spirituous liquor. ABC stores may sell in store any bottles it receives from a special item case in excess of what was purchased by the requesting customer. Bottles purchased pursuant to this subsection may be affixed with personalized labeling by the manufacturer, distiller, broker, or supplier of spirituous liquor. The personalized labeling shall comply with any other labeling requirements set by law. The personalized labeling shall not cover any portion of the manufacturer's original label. For purposes of this subsection, the term "personalized labeling" means the inclusion of any of the following on the label:

(1) The name of the purchaser of the bottle or the name of any individual, business entity, club, ABC Board, or ABC store on whose behalf the bottle is purchased.

(2) "Bottled for," "distilled for," "in honor of," or other similar language.

(3) Dates, locations, occasions, and other similar information.

(c2) Orders of Eligible Distillery Products by Mixed Beverages Permittees. - A local board shall fulfill an order by a mixed beverages permittee for individual bottles or cases of spirituous liquor produced by an eligible distillery that are listed as a regular code item for sale in the State. If a local board cannot fulfill an order of a mixed beverages permittee for individual bottles or cases of spirituous liquor produced by an eligible distillery that are listed as a regular code item for sale in the State because the product ordered is not in the local board's stock inventory or the order cannot otherwise be fulfilled within the time period requested by the permittee, the local board shall notify the Commission within 48 hours of the request for the order and request authorization for direct shipment. The Commission shall then determine if the eligible distillery desires to directly ship the ordered product directly to the local board, and if so the Commission shall authorize the eligible distillery to ship the spirituous liquor ordered to the local board for the fulfillment of the mixed beverages permittee's order. Merchandise authorized to be shipped by direct shipment under this subsection shall be consigned by the State ABC warehouse to the distiller's account in care of the local board. The local board shall acknowledge receipt of the merchandise on the shipping documents and forward them to the State ABC warehouse for processing through the accounting system as though the merchandise were shipped from the State ABC warehouse. As used in this subsection, an "eligible distillery" is a distillery (i) that sells, to consumers at the distillery, to exporters, to local boards, and to private or public agencies or establishments of other states or nations, fewer than 10,000 proof gallons of in-house brand spirituous liquors distilled or produced and manufactured by it at the permit holder's distillery per year, and (ii) that is either the holder of a distillery permit pursuant to G.S. 18B-1105 or is a business located outside the State that is licensed or permitted to manufacture spirituous liquor in the jurisdiction where the business is located and whose products are lawfully sold in this State.

(c3) Online Orders. - An ABC store may accept an online order, including payment, for gift cards and alcoholic beverages sold in its store. An order for alcoholic beverages placed online pursuant to this subsection shall be picked up in person at the store by the individual who placed the order. An order for a gift card may be delivered digitally to the purchaser. An order placed online pursuant to this subsection shall include the name and unique identifier number of the individual placing the order, who shall be at least 21 years of age as shown on the form of identification authorized pursuant to G.S. 18B-302(d)(1) and otherwise legally authorized to purchase alcoholic beverages. An employee of the ABC store shall confirm that an online order for alcoholic beverages is picked up in person at the store by the individual who placed the order by verifying the individual's identification that conforms to the identifying information contained in the online order.

(c4) Refrigerated Beverages. - ABC stores may sell alcoholic beverages authorized for sale under this section in a refrigerated unit. For purposes of this subsection, the term "refrigerated unit" means a refrigerated merchandiser or other appliance that is artificially kept cool and suitable to be used to store food and drink.

(c5) ATM in Store. - ABC stores may make an ATM available to customers if approved by the local board.

(d) Expired.

(e) Each ABC store shall display spirits which are distilled or produced in North Carolina in an area dedicated solely to North Carolina products.  (1981, c. 412, s. 2; 1985, c. 59, s. 1; 1989, c. 800, s. 21; 2004-135, s. 4; 2010-31, s. 14.12(a); 2015-98, s. 4(f); 2017-87, s. 1(c); 2019-182, s. 3(a); 2021-117, s. 12(a); 2021-150, ss. 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 15.1; 2022-51, s. 1(b); 2024-41, ss. 9(a), 37(b).)