Maine enforceing liquor laws at NH Border (Gorham, Manchester: Valentine's day, movers)

[Submariner]

While I was making trips up here shopping for land, I did stop in the NH liquor stores. It took a few stops until they explained to me their 'system'.

You go to the cashier and you tell them that you pre-ordered a 'special order', the warehouse workers bring out the alcohol for you as many cases as you want.

I asked if I needed to pre-order now for my next trip, they laughed, they stock alcohol. They just don't put it on the shelves, and if you ask for alcohol the cashiers look at you goofy. Ask for your 'special order' and how many, and the warehouse workers bring it out.

Which is a cool system, I guess.

They do have a wide selection of dinner wines and drinkables out on display.



I remember as a teen, when I was stationed in Groton. Groton had set limits to how much a sailor could buy on base in one trip. So guys would make road trips up to NH, so they could load up their trunk with cases. whenever they had a weekend party to supply.



Now days I don't drink nearly as much. So we buy in Bangor at the ANG PX. They only have 2 aisles, a wide selection but very limited stock of each item, and their warehouse is usually empty.

The NAS Brunswick like all Navy bases has 6 aisles of booze to select from and a warehouse full if you need more.

ANG Bangor is fine if all your getting is a few gallons of wine, a few fifths of hard liquor and a few bottles of alcohol. They do display their alcohol on the shelf. Which is nice. They just do not stock every much. What is on the shelf is all the store has. Which would never fly on a Navy base.

[7th generation]

Originally Posted by island mermaid

I'm pretty sure that this law has been in place for quite a while. I'm not sure of the legal amounts you are allowed to carry over though. I'm thinking it was (2) 1/2 gals of liquor per adult in the car.

You are allowed 4 quarts across the state line.
Title 28-A, §2075: Importation and transportation of spirits
From what I could find, the law has been in effect since the end of prohibition.
I, along with 4 other trucks, were stopped in Parleys Canyon on a cold winter day, by the Utah Highway Patrol, transporting 60 cases of beer for a wedding. They let us keep one case per truck and confiscated the rest.
We could have received hefty fines, but evidently they figured we were out mucho buckos anyway.
You can't blame us for wanting the 6.0 beer from Wyoming versus the 3.2 beer dictated by Utah law.

[contented]

to answer the financial question. if i buy a few cases (3) of vodka on my way to alabama from maine i save $400 to $450. does that answer the real money question?

[woolwiTch]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

While I was making trips up here shopping for land, I did stop in the NH liquor stores. It took a few stops until they explained to me their 'system'.

You go to the cashier and you tell them that you pre-ordered a 'special order', the warehouse workers bring out the alcohol for you as many cases as you want.

I asked if I needed to pre-order now for my next trip, they laughed, they stock alcohol. They just don't put it on the shelves, and if you ask for alcohol the cashiers look at you goofy. Ask for your 'special order' and how many, and the warehouse workers bring it out.

Which is a cool system, I guess.

They do have a wide selection of dinner wines and drinkables out on display.

I don't understand this. What is this special alcohol? I stop at the NH Liquor Store whenever I have to go to MA or NH once or twice a year and they have just about every kind of liquor and wine you can think of out on the display aisles. The only time I have to ask for something from the warehouse is if I want a case of something and there aren't already that many bottles on display. So spill it: what's this special stuff that's not on the shelves?

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by woolwiTch

I don't understand this. What is this special alcohol? I stop at the NH Liquor Store whenever I have to go to MA or NH once or twice a year and they have just about every kind of liquor and wine you can think of out on the display aisles. The only time I have to ask for something from the warehouse is if I want a case of something and there aren't already that many bottles on display. So spill it: what's this special stuff that's not on the shelves?

I thought I said. uh, when you ask a cashier for your 'special order' they will call a warehouse worker. Who will come up to you and ask you "how many?" If you want 1 bottle or 2 cases, you tell him, and he will bring you alcohol.

In NH they handle 'Everclear' alcohol. On base I get 'Thames River' alcohol.

[shadowfax1997]

NO problem with me enforcing this law. Imagine how the country would change if all laws were actually enforced? We wouldn't need many of the new nanny-state laws that the government is pushing. And many major issues facing the country could be fixed - illegal immegration.

[woolwiTch]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

I thought I said. uh, when you ask a cashier for your 'special order' they will call a warehouse worker. Who will come up to you and ask you "how many?" If you want 1 bottle or 2 cases, you tell him, and he will bring you alcohol.

In NH they handle 'Everclear' alcohol. On base I get 'Thames River' alcohol.

Oh, OK, now I get it. "Alcohol," as in white lightning, moonshine, pot liquor, hooch, mountain juice, hooch.......

[Ellwood]

Originally Posted by woxyroxme

It's a similar situation between KY & OH, taxes are a lot less in KY, especially on cigarettes, I pay $26/carton in KY, $40/carton in Ohio.

I heard smuggling cigarettes by boat from Eastport to NB was a growing cottage industry at one time.

NJ has lost a third of its revenue from cigarette sales to DE, due to tax increases. Currently I think a carton in NJ is $65 vs $40 in DE.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by woolwiTch

Oh, OK, now I get it. "Alcohol," as in white lightning, moonshine, pot liquor, hooch, mountain juice, hooch.......

I understand that some folks today don't consume alcohol.

I guess it is no longer popular.

My grandfathers both drank from mason jars, and at various times had thriving mason jar businesses. One of my grandmothers made kahlua from her Dh's corn squeezings, and she taught my Dw to make kahlua. Apparently when the men were out in the barn or playing horseshoes passing a mason jar around the ladies were inside sipping from coffee cups with kahlua.

[Northern Maine Land Man]

Gee, I hope they don't start checking for 2 liter bottles of Moxie coming across the border from NH. You can get a 2 liter bottle in NH cheaper than you can get a 1 liter bottle in Maine.

Life's blood and the official Maine beverage.