Every licensed brewery, distillery,
and winery in America.

PlainAlcohol aggregates publicly licensed alcohol-industry operations across the United States — breweries, wineries, distilleries, importers, and wholesalers. The dataset is built from the Treasury Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) federal permit registry combined with state Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) licensure records. Each entity record includes permit type, location, registered trade name, and TTB or state license identifier where available.

Federal excise tax is set per gallon by product class. Beer is taxed at $3.50 per barrel for the first 60,000 barrels (small-brewer rate) and $16.00 per barrel above that. Wine is taxed by alcohol content tier — $1.07 per gallon for table wine up to 16% ABV, with credits for the first 30,000 gallons. Distilled spirits are taxed at $13.50 per proof gallon. State excise taxes vary widely and stack on top of the federal rate. PlainAlcohol shows the federal classification; consult your state ABC for state-specific rates.

The three-tier system, established after Prohibition, separates alcohol commerce into producers (breweries, wineries, distilleries), wholesalers (distributors), and retailers (bars, stores, restaurants). Producers generally cannot sell directly to retailers — they must go through a licensed wholesaler. Most states enforce strict tier separation; some have carve-outs for self-distribution by small producers, direct-to-consumer wine shipping, or brewpub on-premise sales. The system explains why an out-of-state producer needs a wholesaler in every state where it wants distribution.

Federal TTB licensure (a "basic permit" for producers, importers, and wholesalers) is required to operate in interstate commerce and authorizes the holder to produce or move alcohol for federal tax purposes. State ABC licensure is separate and required to actually sell alcohol within a given state. A brewery typically needs a federal TTB Brewer's Notice plus a state manufacturer license, plus retail or distribution licenses for any direct-to-consumer activity. Both must be active and in good standing.

TTB publishes its Public COLA Registry and permit lists on a rolling basis with updates posted weekly. State ABC release cadence varies — some publish monthly, others quarterly. PlainAlcohol refreshes from upstream sources on a regular ETL schedule and surfaces the source-snapshot date on each entity page. Newly issued permits typically appear within 30 days; surrendered or revoked permits may persist briefly until the next refresh.

A TTB Basic Permit is the federal authorization required under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act for any business that imports, wholesales, or produces distilled spirits, wine, or malt beverages for interstate commerce. It is distinct from the brewer's, distiller's, or winemaker's notice that authorizes actual production. A holder must demonstrate financial responsibility, premises suitability, and an absence of disqualifying criminal history. The permit is permanent unless surrendered, suspended, or revoked.