Beam Spirits & Wine, LLC v. Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission

Gordon, Robert B., J.

This case arises out of the refusal of Beam Spirits & Wine, LLC (“Beam”) to sell a popular alcoholic beverage — the “Skinnygirl Margarita” — to a Massachusetts liquor wholesaler, United Liquors, LLC (“United”). Beam purchased the right to produce, market, promote, distribute and sell the Skinnygirl Margarita from Skinny Girl Cocktails, LLC (“SGC”), a company formed by the brand’s celebrity creator (Bethenny Frankel) and her business associate (David Kanbar). Prior to this March 2011 sale, SGC utilized a Florida-based liquor distributor named Palm Bay International (“Palm…