States are still grappling with the recession’s fallout on their budgets, and it’s driving some to drink. Last week, New York governor Andrew Cuomo signed a bill into law that lets microdistillers sell their wares at farmer’s markets and fairs, something both microbreweries and wineries are already allowed to do. It’s only the latest in a series of initiatives states have undertaken in recent months that make it easier for craft distilleries to set up shop. The wine industry brings tourists and taxes to rural areas from New York to Washington, and state lawmakers are hoping small-batch aged whiskey, vodka and even moonshine will do the same.
