How the Safest Business in Alcohol Blew Up

RNDC's collapse exposes how concentrated the middle tier has become

Jan 27, 2026

∙ Paid

The US alcohol wholesale business is protected by state law, reinforced by the Constitution, and insulated from direct competition.

And yet one of its largest players just imploded.

The news, when it c…

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A guest post by

Jeff Siegel

I’m an internationally known wine writer whose philosophy is simple: Wine should be fun, so don't let the wine business make it otherwise. And I do like writing about how the wine business takes the fun out.