When it comes to liquor I have my moments. I am not a big beer drinker unless you count Corona Extra, which isn’t so bad. So, when it comes to having something light I stick with the malt liquors on the store shelves these days. One of my favorite options is Smirnoff Ice.
I love the Raspberry Ice Tea along with the red and black labels, though I occasionally try some of the others. When it comes to categorizing them as liquor or beer I have never really thought about it, but apparently some people, at least in Maryland, have been.
The Governor, Martin O’Malley has to make a decision whether to classify Smirnoff Ice as beer or liquor. Those lobbying for liquor think that it should be marketed and sold as beer. However, this means that it is allowed to sit freely on convenience store shelves and groups like MADD do not like this idea one bit. There is also the question of taxes. Beer tax is a lot cheaper than liquor tax. Currently, the Governor has not made a definitive decision, so people are left to lobby.
I’m somewhere on the fence. I don’t feel its beer. Other than the fact that it’s cheaper in cost there really is no similarity to any beer on the market. I can see where it is more marketable on the shelves of nearly any store. I certainly don’t feel it needs to be behind a counter. Even if it were, if someone wanted to buy it, they would, so the deterrent does not really lessen any by calling a spade a spade. Liquor companies have more to lose here, because if the price of the tax is raised on their end, then the consumer price, at least in Maryland where this is all occurring, will likely go up, as well.
So, is it liquor or beer? If you drink Smirnoff or other similar malt beverages let us know you’re thoughts.
Technorati Tags: Maryland, Liquor, Beer, Smirnoff Ice, Malt Liquor, Beverage, Liquor Tax, MADD
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