Barrel Program
What is a Barrel Program?
In a barrel program, an entire barrel of product, such as Bourbon, is hand-selected at a distillery by a liquor store, bar, or restaurant, and bottled with their name on it, giving them a unique product to sell to the public.
Selling the Product
- Barrels may be pre-selected by the distillery to match the customer’s request.
- Bars, restaurants, or liquor store representatives may select their own barrel(s) to look for particular notes within a brand’s flavor profile.
- Customers may taste at barrel strength and decide what proof (including barrel strength) they would like bottled. Any samples tasted by a person will count towards the sample room limit of two ounces per person per day.
- The customer may choose to purchase the entire contents of the barrel, including the empty barrel.
Distribution of the Product
- The product still must go through the normal product approvals and distribution channels.
- The barrel and the bottles must be put on the pallet, shrink-wrapped, and readied for delivery.
- A liquor store must purchase the distilled spirits product, and the bar, restaurant, or customer would then purchase it from the liquor store.
Legal References
All licensees must comply with all Federal and Montana alcoholic beverage laws and rules.
Updated December 2022. Please note the information in department communications may have been modified, superseded, or made obsolete by changes in federal or state law or the Administrative Rules of Montana. To verify the current validity of any Department of Revenue communication, please contact us at DORCARDEducation@mt.gov.
