Alcoholic whipped cream, private tastings and more: NC lawmakers advance bill to loosen liquor laws

WRAL | 06.16.2026

North Carolina lawmakers on Tuesday advanced a bill that would loosen the state’s liquor laws in a number of ways: from allowing more tastings to authorizing the sale of alcoholic whipped cream. 

The Senate Finance Committee gave a favorable report to House Bill 198, a 39-page bill that would change North Carolina laws governing how consumers and retailers obtain liquor from the state. The bill goes next to a Senate judiciary committee. Some of the proposed law changes are minor, allowing practices that might already occur throughout the state but aren’t specifically authorized by state law.

For instance, the bill would allow people to buy up to two mixed drinks at a time from a bar or restaurant, rather than one. The bill would also allow people to take mixed beverages into a business inside a municipality’s social district, even if that business isn’t permitted to sell mixed beverages.

Another change would expand the number of products at ABC stores. For instance, it would allow whipped cream containing at least 0.5% alcohol by volume to be sold. State law currently allows for the sale of alcoholic ice cream, ice pops, and gelatin-based products — but the law is silent on alcoholic whipped cream, even though the product has appeared on the commission’s website. The bill would add alcoholic whipped cream to that list of products classified as “alcohol consumables” that are legal and regulated by the state. 

The bill would also allow:

• Liquor tastings in ABC stores.
• Wine sellers to hold tastings at private residences.
• Restaurants and bars to buy liquor from ABC stores outside of their local county.
• ABC stores to display North Carolina products with tags, rather than by placing them in a specified area of the store.
• The state’s ABC Commission to borrow up to $310 million to expand its warehouse.

The bill would also give legislative leaders representation on the ABC Commission, which currently features three members appointed by the governor. The bill would expand the commission to five members: allowing the House Speaker and Senate leader to each appoint a member as well. 

The proposal by Sen. Tim Moffitt, R-Henderson, is one of a number of bills seeking to loosen North Carolina’s liquor laws. A separate bill under consideration in the House of Representatives seeks to allow grocery stores to sell premixed cocktails, which are currently only sold in state-run liquor stores.

The House bill — like Moffitt’s — would also allow people to order two cocktail drinks at once and allow bars and restaurants to purchase liquor from ABC stores outside their home county.

The legislation comes amid heightened scrutiny of the state’s government-controlled system for liquor sales.

Last year, the leader of a legislative group formed to improve government efficiency said that he wanted to explore the cost of privatizing North Carolina’s system for liquor sales. State legislators for years have talked about pivoting from a state-controlled liquor sales system — but the idea has never gained strong momentum.

Legislators said during an October hearing that their constituents regularly complain about the selection and prices of liquor at ABC stores across the state. Hank Bauer, the ABC commission’s chairman, told lawmakers that the state could bring in more revenue if it had more space for storing liquor shipments — something Moffitt’s proposal aims to address by giving the ABC Commission the ability to borrow money for warehouse expansion.

County governments benefit from revenue generated by the state’s alcohol sales. If the bill becomes law, and the ABC Commission borrows money for warehouse expansion, the commission could only repay the debt using revenues earmarked for the state’s general fund — not revenues that are designated for municipal governments, Moffitt said Tuesday.