Sunday retail liquor sales in Asheville, NC? Biltmore to add distillery?

State officials are close to passing a law that would allow Sunday retail liquor sales in North Carolina.

Along with giving communities a choice to open their Alcoholic Beverage Control stores on Sunday, Senate Bill 527 includes other measures such as removing legal hurdles for Biltmore Estate to open a distillery, according to a General Assembly member representing part of Asheville and Buncombe County.

SB527 has passed the state Senate unanimously and advanced through the House to its Rules Committee. Sponsors include Sen. Tim Moffitt of Henderson County. The Citizen Times reached out Sept. 19 to Moffitt.

Rep. Caleb Rudow, a Buncombe Democrat, said he believed the bill "has a pretty good chance" of passing the House. Gov. Roy Cooper has not said he opposes it.

"I generally like the bill," said Rudow, whose District 116 covers northwestern Asheville and Buncombe. "It's got some modernization. And as long as people across the state have the option to opt in or opt out with Sunday sales, I think it makes good sense."

State law recently allowed customers to buy bottles from distilleries. The only other private sales of bottles is at ABC stores, which are operated by municipalities or counties. No such retail sales are allowed on Sundays, per state law.

For restaurants, lawmakers in 2017 expanded liquor sales to allow mixed drink purchases starting at 10 a.m. Sunday. That was through the so-called "brunch bill."

Sunday store sales would be allowed if approved by the governing ABC board and elected officials of the municipality or county.

Asheville resident Robert Jackson said he thought expanding to seven days a week was a "great idea."

"If you're having a cookout on Sunday and you have a lot of people come over, it's a real pain to have the store closed," said Jackson, 60, who lives in the South French Broad neighborhood and was shopping at the main ABC store on South Charlotte Street. "I mean, you can buy it in bars on Sunday."

In 2022, Asheville's ABC stores brought in the eighth highest revenue in the state, $33 million in retail sales. First in sales was Wake County with $157 million.

In Asheville, 7.2% of profits are divided between the city, which gets three quarters, and the county, which gets one quarter. In 2022 that meant $3.6 million to city coffers and $1.2 million to the county.

Also in SB527 are multiple adjustments to distillery laws. Part of those changes are meant to help Biltmore Estate open a distillery, said Rudow. The state House member said he was not clear on the specific language.

Biltmore has not made any official announcement on a distillery. The Citizen Times reached out to a spokesperson for the company.

Biltmore has run a winery since 1985, stemming from the interest of George Vanderbilt’s grandson William A.V. Cecil. The facility has since become a major attraction of the estate.

More: Asheville ABC profits means millions in revenues for city, county. But who gets what?

Alcohol laws you need to know if you’re an Asheville transplant, tourist

Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years, covering politics, government and other news. He's written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Got a tip? Contact Burgess at jburgess@citizentimes.com, 828-713-1095 or on Twitter @AVLreporter. Please help support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Sunday liquor sales in Asheville, NC? Biltmore to add distillery?