The owners of a Vermont distillery say they have been forced to close ahead of the holiday season because of an issue with their name change.
Dan Hughes, one of the owners of the St. Johnsbury Distillery, says they were issued a cease and desist order from the state Friday. Hughes tells The Caledonian Record the new owners thought they could still operate under the permits granted to Dunc's Mill after they took over the business Nov. 10.
Skyler Genest, director of the compliance and enforcement division of the state Department of Liquor Control, says state licenses and federal permits are non-transferable.
Hughes calls the shutdown "devastating."
Genest says the distillery can reopen once it gets authorization from the federal Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau.
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