Internal Revenue Service

Retail Liquor Industry: Irs Audit Techniques Guide Internal Revenue Service

Responsibility for licensing the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages is shared jointly, although not equally, between municipal, state, and federal authorities. Administration of the Federal Alcohol Act is vested in the Treasury Department in the Division of the Federal Alcohol Administration. In some rare instances, a license is required from only one of these authorities. In most cases, there are dual license requirements. The industry has a three tiered system for the distribution of its products. The first tier is the manufacturer, the second tier is the distributor or wholesaler, and the third tier is the retailer. The manufacturer sells or grants licenses based on different criteria. The manufacturer may or may not be located in the state. Each state controls what products may be brought into its borders. The distributor or wholesaler sells and distributes the products to the retailers.