Coming soon signage is up for Oak, Barrel, and Vine at 512 N. Frederick Ave. in the Gaithersburg Square shopping center, next to Lil’ Cakes & Creamery and the recently opened Five Below. The county-run beer, wine, and liquor store will feature a tasting room with beers on tap and space to hold events hosted by local breweries and distillers.
Montgomery County opened its first Oak, Barrel & Vine location at 7913 Tuckerman Ln in Potomac in October 2021. In August the ABS began renovations at its Montrose store (1205-B Rockville Pike) to turn that location into an Oak, Barrel, & Vine. A complete list of ABS store locations and hours is available at https://montgomerycountymd.gov/ABS/stores/.
Statement from Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich on the Cessation of the Sale of Russian-made Liquor:
In solidarity with the people of Ukraine, all products produced in Russia have been removed from the County’s Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) stores.
There will be an opportunity to purchase popular non-Russian-made vodkas, including Smirnoff, Ciroc, Tito’s, Absolut, Svedka, Grey Goose, SKYY, Ketel One, and New Amsterdam.
ABS wholesale customers and licensees make their own decisions about the availability of Russian-made products; however, they will no longer be able to order these products from ABS until further notice.
Kathie Durbin Confirmed as the New Director of the Montgomery County Department of Alcohol Beverage Services, Becomes First Woman to Lead the Department
Kathie Durbin was confirmed today as the new director of Montgomery County’s Department of Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS). County Executive Marc Elrich’s nominee was confirmed by the County Council, making her the first woman to lead the department and one of the few women to lead a similar department in the country.
Ms. Durbin joined Montgomery County’s Department of Alcohol Beverage Services (formerly the Department of Liquor Control) in 2002 as a Community Outreach Manager. In 2007, she accepted the position of Division Chief of Licensure, Regulation and Education supervising alcohol licensing, policy, education and compliance. Durbin has spent more than a decade working as an advocate for legislative initiatives that support the County’s hospitality businesses.
Ms. Durbin has served as the acting director of ABS for the past four months. In addition to its regulatory role, ABS is the wholesaler of beer, wine and spirits in the County and operates 26 retail stores. Generating more than $35 million in net income annually, the bulk of ABS profits are deposited into the County’s general fund, with the remainder being used to pay down County debt.
“I am delighted to welcome Kathie as the new ABS director,” said County Executive Elrich. “Kathie’s passion for ABS’ mission, community partnerships and economic growth will help our County advance and rebuild when we need it most.”
Prior to her work in local government, Ms. Durbin, who is a lifelong County resident, served as the executive director of the Montgomery County Restaurant Association, where she worked closely with the business community, local agencies and the executive board to craft meaningful alcohol legislation to benefit small businesses.
Ms. Durbin currently is the president of the Maryland Alcohol Licensing Association and a member of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association Regulatory Committee. She is a longtime board member of the Responsible Hospitality Institute and the Responsible Retailing Forum, national organizations that work to support nightlife. In 2016, Durbin was recognized by the National Alcohol Licensing Professional Association for Innovation and Leadership and again in 2017 by the Center for Alcohol Policy as Regulator of the Year.
Montgomery County Alcohol Beverage Services’ Goshen Crossing Liquor and Wine Store Temporarily Closed Awaiting COVID-19 Employee Testing
The Goshen Crossing Liquor and Wine store in Gaithersburg, operated by Montgomery County’s Department of Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS), has temporarily closed. One employee stayed home with a fever yesterday and has tested negative for COVID-19. The employee last worked at the Goshen Liquor and Wine store, located at 20004-2008 Goshen Road, on Saturday and had no symptoms at the time.
Out of an abundance of caution, local health officials conducted a contact tracing effort and determined additional store employees are to quarantine until their COVID-19 test results return. The resulting staff shortage has caused the store to close today.
If any of the COVID-19 tests are positive, employees will quarantine for 10 days and a specialized team will be brought in to disinfect the store before reopening. This deep cleaning involves chemical fogging and manual wiping down of all products and high contact surfaces in the store.
In addition to deep cleaning, all ABS stores have installed plexiglass at each register to create a barrier between consumers and staff and have erected hand sanitizer stations by the front doors. Staff is frequently disinfecting surfaces and is encouraging social distancing of at least six feet. Signage reminding customers to engage in social distancing and of the County health order requiring residents to wear facemasks while shopping, have been posted in each store as well. Staff are also limiting the number of people who can shop at one time to ensure distancing can be maintained.
ABS is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine and spirits for Montgomery County. ABS operates 25 beer, wine, and spirits stores and one spirits-only store in Poolesville. It manages alcohol licensing, enforcement, and education for more than 1,000 businesses. Generating more than $35 million in net income annually, ABS profits are used to pay down County debt with a large portion deposited in the County general fund to pay for resident services that would otherwise be funded by County tax dollars.
