Democratic Senator Proposes Controversial Bill to Counter Bourbon Flipping

An Ohio senator is passing a bill to fight bourbon flippers. (Photo: Buffalo Trace)

The Plain Dealer reported on Wednesday that Ohio Senator Bill DeMora is proposing a bill to combat bourbon flippers. The bill proposes that liquor store retailers would have to open and reseal bottles of pricey bourbon when they are sold to customers.

It’s called Senate Bill 320, and DeMora, a Democratic senator, introduced it in October to combat flippers re-selling coveted expressions of bourbon like Pappy Van Winkle and Weller at dramatically inflated prices.

“Unless you really know the person you’re buying it from, you’re not going to buy a bottle of whiskey that’s already been opened because you don’t know what’s in it,” DeMora said, according to The Plain Dealer.

Though DeMora’s motivations appear to be about consumer protection and avoiding an illegal bourbon-flipping marketplace, some professionals in the beverage industry seem to think the public won’t take too kindly to retailers opening premium bottles after purchase — even if they reseal them.

“If you’re giving it as a gift, or you’re hanging on to it for a special occasion — I mean, people aren’t going to understand it,” Napa Valley Wine Academy Head Spirits Instructor Liz Pirnat said, according to the outlet.

Pirnat also raised the additional flag of less-than-reputable retailers pouring out some of the liquor and refilling their bottles with cheaper stuff.

Senator Demora claimed he is a bourbon aficionado and created a bipartisan “bourbon caucus,” which consists of eight to nine lawmakers who partake in a little bit of bourbon after legislative sessions.

“It’s certainly not partisan,” DeMora expressed regarding Senate Bill 320. “It’s just for people who want to drink bourbon.”

Other states have proposed left-of-center legislation regarding the alcohol industry in the past. In February, a Republican member of Tennessee’s House of Representatives tried to pass a law banning cold beer to curb drunk driving.

The bill was met with a chilly reception.

“I think it’s ridiculous that we are moving with more urgency to ban cold beer than we are to ban weapons of war from our street,” Rep. Justin Jones expressed about the initiative.

In the same month, Gant claimed that he would strike that portion of the bill because it was “unfair to businesses.”