Signed into law on Jan. 16, 2024, by New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, S-4265/A-5912, now P.L.2023, c.290, promises to categorically alter the alcoholic beverage industry in New Jersey.
This legislation was crafted to resolve long-standing friction between the legacy food and beverage industry and the craft breweries, meaderies and cideries exploding in popularity over recent years. In short, this legislation expands the scope of permissible business activities by certain manufacturers, creates new license categories, ratchets up the pressure on inactive retail licenses to be put to productive use, and creates a new mechanism for bringing otherwise inactive retail licenses back into active use.
