A person licensed as a manufacturer of malt liquor or wine under section 1355‑A or licensed as a wholesaler may give a retail licensee samples of products under the following conditions:

1. 1. Invoice required The products must be accompanied by an invoice;

   [PL 1997, c. 228, §1 (NEW).]

2. 2. Product registered The product must be registered with the bureau and clearly labeled as a sample;

   [PL 1997, c. 228, §1 (NEW).]

3. 3. Taxes paid Taxes must be paid on each item;

   [PL 1997, c. 228, §1 (NEW).]

4. 3-A. Partial-bottle wine samples Bottles of wine designated for partial-bottle sampling must be properly sealed between samplings. Partial-bottle wine samples may be provided only on the premises of a retailer licensed to sell wine for on-premises or off-premises consumption to the owner or a supervisory or managerial employee of the retailer;

   [PL 2021, c. 658, §238 (AMD).]

5. 4. Full-bottle samples The maximum amount of unopened full-bottle samples given to a retail licensee may not exceed 18 gallons of malt liquor and 18 liters of wine annually. A full-bottle sample is an unopened bottle of wine or malt liquor given to a retail licensee, which may be consumed by a retail licensee on or off the premises;

   [PL 2021, c. 658, §239 (AMD).]

6. 4-A. Prohibited recipients Malt liquor or wine samples authorized under this section may not be provided to a person who is a minor or who is visibly intoxicated; and

   [PL 2021, c. 658, §240 (NEW).]

7. 5. Samples removed

   [PL 2011, c. 629, §28 (RP).]

8. 6. Records maintained Records must be maintained for a 2-year period by the licensee giving or receiving samples.

   [PL 1997, c. 228, §1 (NEW).]

PL 1997, c. 228, §1 (NEW). PL 2003, c. 69, §§1,2 (AMD). PL 2011, c. 629, §§25-28 (AMD). PL 2015, c. 386, §1 (AMD). PL 2017, c. 35, §1 (AMD). PL 2021, c. 658, §§238-240 (AMD).