ROCKVILLE, Md. — One of the oldest and busiest Alcohol Beverage Services (ABS) stores in Montgomery County is re-opening after getting an upgrade.
Montgomery County's Department of Alcohol Beverage Services is set to re-open its Montrose store under its upgraded retail concept, "Oak Barrel & Vine," at 9:45 a.m. on Jan. 27.
Officials say the celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony will occur in front of the store, located at 1205-B Rockville Pike in the Montrose Crossing shopping center in Rockville.
County Executive Marc Elrich, other elected officials, and alcohol industry representatives are expected to attend the opening.
Officials say the Oak Barrel & Vine branded store features handpicked items, focusing on spirits and local products. The upgraded store will have 25% more shelf space, a dedicated tasting area, queue lines for faster checkout and wayfinding signs.
During the grand opening, and in the following days, officials claim certain rare and allocated items will be for sale. Each specific highly allocated item will be limited to one bottle per customer per day. These items will be available for purchase when doors to the store open at 10 a.m.
Two tastings from two local manufacturers between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. will also be part of opening day festivities. Customers will be able to sample unique, flavored spirits from Bethesda-based Butterfly Spirits, as well as craft beers from Silver Spring-based Silver Branch Brewing Co. These products will be available for purchase at the opening and throughout the weekend.
“ABS is an incredible County government service, having contributed more than $35 million of revenue last year alone to the taxpayers of Montgomery County and more than $306 million over the last 10 years, in addition to the health and safety benefits through safe alcohol distribution,” said County Executive Elrich. “Under the leadership of Director Kathie Durbin, our ABS employees have been working hard to update their facilities and systems in order to better serve their customers and increase efficiencies. I am impressed with the improvements made at the Montrose location and look forward to more ABS stores being updated in the near future.”
This is the second ABS store to be upgraded to the Oak Barrel & Vine brand. This location was chosen due to its popularity and convenience.
The first Oak Barrel & Vine store, located in the Cabin John Village Shopping Center, opened in 2021. A third Oak Barrel & Vine store is currently under construction in the Gaithersburg Square shopping center and is expected to open in spring 2023. ABS intends to upgrade its remaining retail stores to the Oak Barrel & Vine brand over the next several years.
“We are excited to introduce a second Oak Barrel & Vine store to Montgomery County,” said ABS Director Kathie Durbin. “This is our store of the future, and it is designed to reflect our community by showcasing local products, providing tastings and events and offering a dynamic shopping experience.”
Beginning on Jan. 27, the Montrose store will be open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 12 p.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays. For a full list of ABS store locations and hours, visit the ABS website.
ABS is the alcohol wholesaler of beer, wine, and spirits for Montgomery County and operates 26 retail stores throughout the county.
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