Register products in Kentucky
Read about what you need to do to register products in Kentucky.
Which product types to register
In Kentucky, you must register:
Malt/beer
Spirits
Wine
Low-ABV products
How to register your products
In Kentucky, register your products as New Brands. Kentucky considers all registrations as one type, so submit all line extensions or revisions as a new brand registration. If you are unsure whether a new product needs to be registered, reach out to the state to confirm.
State fees and approval time
There are no charges or technology fees for registrations in Kentucky.
Because the state sometimes requires that distributors review and co-submit registrations, approval times may vary.
License information
Enter your license information to submit a registration. The following are examples of formatting for the different types of state licenses.
Direct Shipping Licenses: 123-SHL-456789
Supplier Licenses: 123-LOSDWS-4567
Wholesale / Distributor Licenses: 123-MD-456
The middle two letters indicate your license type: MD for malt distributor (beer) or WH for wholesaler (wine and spirits).
If you are registering brands for self-distribution, use the following license numbers: SELF-MD-Distributor or SELF-WH-Distributor.
Distributor information
Provide distributor or wholesaler information for distribution or wholesale registrations only. Assign territories to your distributors for each malt beverage registration.
Distributors and wholesalers must review and approve registrations before they are submitted to the state. Registrations submitted by suppliers will be sent to a distributor or wholesaler portal for approval.
Distributors and wholesalers can also generate registrations, which suppliers need to review and approve before they are submitted to the state. When a distributor or wholesaler submits a registration, the supplier will automatically receive an email prompting them to approve and sign the registration, after which the registration is automatically sent to the state for approval.
If your registration has not been approved yet, check with your distributor or wholesaler to ensure that they have approved the registration. The state can't view registration applications until distributors or wholesalers and suppliers have approved them.
Required documents
Distributor Appointment Letter (required for wholesale registrations only)
Trade Name Document (if you answered yes to Does this brand operate a trade name owned by you?)
Brand Owner Authorization Letter (if you answered no to Are you the brand producer?)
Brand Acquisition Letter (if you answered yes to Are you registering a label because you just recently acquired this brand?)
Renewals
Renewals are not required in Kentucky, as approved registrations do not expire.
Contact information
Michelle Lunsford: abc.info@ky.gov, (502) 564-4850