On-Premises Beer & Wine Permit (PBW​)​ locations are prohibited by SC Code Section 61-4-160 to hold tastings unless it is done:

• ​On an individual basis;
• To a fraternal organization in the course of its fund raising activities;
• To a person attending a private function;
• To a customer attending a function sponsored by the permit holder. No more than two functions are permitted per year and each function must be approved by the SCDOR.

Off-Premises Beer & Wine Permit (PBG) locations are prohibited by the restriction on the permit prohibiting on premises consumption of beer or wine. Notwithstanding, a location holding an off premises beer and wine permit whose primary product is beer or wine may conduct not more than 24 beer tastings in a calendar quarter. SC Code Section 61-4-960​. To be permissible, the permit holder is required to:​

• Notify SLED at least 10 days in advance;
• Conduct the tasting;
• Use only the retailer’s product(s);
• Use not more than eight products at a tasting, only two of the eight may contain more than 10% alcohol by weight​;
• Provide samples of not more than two ounces for low-alcohol beer; (Not in excess of 5% alcohol by weight)
• Provide samples of not more than one ounce of high-alcohol beer; (more than 5% but less than 14% alcohol by weight)
• Serve more than one sample of each product to any one person;
• Not offer to or allow consumption by anyone under 21 years of age, or to an intoxicated person;
• Not offer a tasting event lasting more than four hours;
• Not offer more than one tasting event per day;
• May not offer more than one sampling per day.
  

Brewery Permit (“PWY”) holders located in South Carolina are authorized to offer samples of beer brewed in this state on its licensed premises, with or without cost, to consumers. SC Code Section 61-4-1​515​.​ To be permissible, the permit holder must:

• Offer the tastings in conjunction with a tour by the consumer of the licensed premises, with or without cost; 
• Not offer a tasting to or allow consumption by a person under 21 years of age;
• Offer no more than 2 ounces per brand of brewed beer containing 5% or less alcohol by weight;
• Offer no more than 1 ounce per brand of brewed beer containing greater than 5% alcohol by weight, provided that no more than 2 of the total 8 samples may contain more than 10% alcohol by weight.​

Off-Premises Beer & Wine Permit locations, whose primary product is beer, wine, and distilled spirits, may conduct not more than 24 wine tastings per quarter (wholesalers may only conduct two of these).

On-Premises Beer & Wine Permit holders are prohibited from holding wine tastings unless it is done:

1. On an individual basis;
2. To a fraternal organization in the course of its fund raising activities;
3. To a person attending a private function;
4. To a customer attending a function sponsored by the permit holder. No more than two functions are permitted per year and must be authorized by the department.
   
   

Basic Winery Permit (“PWY”) locations that are located in South Carolina are authorized to offer wine tasting samples to prospective customers on its licensed premises, with or without cost, provided the wine contains an alcoholic content of 16.5% or less.

Wine containing 16.5% or less alcohol:

• Licensed wineries may conduct tastings without limitations.
• Retail liquor stores may conduct 24 wine tastings per quarter (wholesalers may only conduct two of these).
  
  

Wine containing over 16% alcohol and alcoholic liquors:

• No sample may be offered from more than four products at a time;
• The sample is limited to products from no more than one wholesaler at a time;
• No more than one bottle of each of the four products to be sampled may be opened;
• The sampling must be held in a designated tasting area of the retail liquor store and all open bottles must be visible at all times. All open bottles must be removed at the end of the tasting;
• Samples must be less than one-half ounce for each product sampled;
• No person may be served more than one sample of each product;
• No sampling may be offered for more than four hours;
• At least 10 days before the sampling, a letter detailing the specific date and hours of the sampling must be mailed first class to the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division. The letter must include a copy of a certificate of liability insurance for the manufacturer, the retail establishment, or its agent, conducting the tastings;
• No sample may be offered to, or allowed to be consumed by, an intoxicated person or a person under the age of 21 years. This person must not be allowed to loiter on the store premises;
• The tastings must be conducted by the manufacturer or an agent of the manufacturer or retailer, and must not be conducted by a wholesaler, an employee of a wholesaler, or any agent of a wholesaler.
• No retail alcoholic liquor store may offer more than one sampling per day.
• All product samples used for tasting must be purchased by the retailer from a South Carolina Licensed Wholesaler.
• All associated costs for the tasting must be by the manufacturer, the retailer, or agent conducting the tastings.
• Mixers, which must be nonalcoholic and carry zero percent of alcohol by weight, may be provided in conjunction with the tasting, but the mixers must be provided free of charge.
• Store mixers used, but not sold, in conjunction with tastings.
  
  

​(A) Notwithstanding any other provision of law, rule, or regulation to the contrary, the holder of a valid winery license that, on or after January 1, 2021, invests four hundred million dollars in this State in a Tier III or Tier IV county, as designated by the Department of Revenue pursuant to Section 12-6-3360​(B), at the time of the public announcement of the project or upon reaching such investment and job requirement thresholds, and creates at least three hundred new jobs in this State, is eligible for a manufacturer's satellite certificate to establish up to three wholly owned satellite locations for tasting and sale of wine produced or imported as the primary American source of supply. See SC Code Section 61-4-748.

S​​C Code Sections 61-4-720, 61-4-737, 61-6-1035

✅On-Premises Beer & Wine Permit (PBW) holders may allow customers to BYOB, but must remember that SC Code Section 61-4-140, which prohibits open containers on Sunday at a licensed premise, still applies.

❌Off-Premises Beer & Wine Permit (PBG) holders are prohibited from allowing customers to BYOB since on-premise consumption is prohibited.

While Title 61 of SC Code of Laws​ does not prohibit BYOB, local law may say otherwise, and it is up to each permit holder to research the local laws that apply to their business.

See answers to this question for liquor license holders on our Liquor​ page.

Individuals and military personnel should email BeerWineClearance@dor.sc.gov​.

An out-of-state wine manufacturer may have up to 24 bottles of wine shipped directly to a consumer per month, provided certain conditions are met:

• ​​​The manufacturer must obtain an Out of State Wine Shipper’s license​.
• ​​A consumer (individual) may also place a special order with an out-of-state wine manufacturer for a wine that is not approved for sale or distribution in South Carolina; provided that the wine is shipped to an in-state wholesaler. 
• ​An individual cannot ship wine into South Carolina for resale. An individual can only ship wine for personal use and consumption.​
• No wine ordered or shipped under these statutory provisions may contain more than sixteen and one-half (16.5%) ​percent of alcohol by volume.​
  

Standard kombucha (commonly known as "fermented tea") is not subject to regulation by the SCDOR.

SC Code Section 61-​4-10​ defines what beverages are regulated as beer and wine as the following: 

1. ​all beers, ales, porters, and other similar malt or fermented beverages containing not in excess of five percent of alcohol by weight; 
2. all beers, ales, porters, and other similar malt or fermented beverages containing more than five percent but less than fourteen percent of alcohol by weight that are manufactured, distributed, or sold in containers of six and one-half ounces or more or the metric equivalent; 
3. and ​all wines containing not in excess of twenty-one percent of alcohol by volume. 

Standard kombucha is not subject to regulation under Title 61 Chapter 4 since it is a bacterially fermented tea and not a beer, ale, porter, or “similar malt or fermented beverage.” It is a type of tea with a specific process for fermentation that is different from that of beer and does not feature barley, hops, or malt. Kombucha is uniquely fermented with a bacteria and yeast colony that produces acetic acid and a low alcoholic content most similar to the composition of vinegar. It is also not a wine or cider because it is not fermented from fruit or berries. 

The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) currently regulates kombucha tea manufactured for wholesale distribution under the authority of the South Carolina Food and Cosmetic Act. As part of its regulation, SCDA ensures that kombucha is properly labeled according to food safety laws and regulations and that it is manufactured and marketed under safe and sanitary conditions through routine inspections. For all kombucha, SCDA requires an initial alcohol analysis as part of the business registration process. 

The SCDOR regulates nonstandard kombucha. The SCDOR determines whether individual brands or products should be regulated by assessing (1) the product’s method/process of production outlined by the manufacturer; (2) the product’s name, TTB classification, and advertised ABV%; (3) the target consumer market for the product; and (4) the nature of the manufacturer’s business, including whether the manufacturer sells other products that require a license or permit from the Department. Standard kombucha is not subject to regulation by the Department.

S.C. Code of Laws Title 61, Chapter 4 – Beer, Ale, Porter, and Wine makes no mention of hard cider but does provide some guidance of what types of beverages are regulated as beer and wine in SC Code Section 61-4-10 as follows:

1. ​​all beers, ales, porters, and other similar malt or fermented beverages containing not in excess of five percent of alcohol by weight;
2. all beers, ales, porters, and other similar malt or fermented beverages containing more than five percent but less than fourteen percent of alcohol by weight that are manufactured, distributed, or sold in containers of six and one-half ounces or more or the metric equivalent; and
3. all wines containing not in excess of twenty-one percent of alcohol by volume.

With the limited guidance provided in Title 61, Chapter 4, the SCDOR looks to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) for guidance. The TTB classifies and regulates hard cider as a wine.​ Hard cider and other wines are made from fermented fruit; apples or pears for hard cider, grapes or other fruits for other wines.​ Although similar in alcohol volume to hard cider, beer is distinctly different in that it is made from malt or ingredients other than fruit.^​​

S.C. Code of Laws Title 61, Chapter 4 – Beer, Ale, Porter, and Wine makes no mention of mead but does provide some guidance of what types of beverages are regulated as beer and wine in SC Code Section 61-4-10 as follows:

1. ​​all beers, ales, porters, and other similar malt or fermented beverages containing not in excess of five percent of alcohol by weight;
2. all beers, ales, porters, and other similar malt or fermented beverages containing more than five percent but less than fourteen percent of alcohol by weight that are manufactured, distributed, or sold in containers of six and one-half ounces or more or the metric equivalent; and
3. all wines containing not in excess of twenty-one percent of alcohol by volume.
   

Subsection 3 above does not provide a definition of wine or state what ingredients make up wine. However, SC Code Section 61-4-120(B) states “…wine is produced using grapes…” and SC Code Section 61-4-730 states “…juice from fruit and berries…” for describing the wine a winery is permitted to produce and sell.