Hawaii Revised Statutes
244D. Liquor Tax Law
244D-1 Definitions.

§244D-1 Definitions. Wherever used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires:
"Alcohol" means ethyl alcohol, hydrated oxide of ethyl, or spirits of wine, from whatever source or by whatever process produced.
"Beer" means any alcoholic beverage obtained by the fermentation or any infusion or decoction of barley, malt, hops, or any other similar product, or any combination thereof in water, and includes ale, porter, brown, stout, lager beer, small beer, and strong beer but does not include sake, known as Japanese rice wine, or cooler beverage.
"Cooler beverage" means either a:
(1) Wine cooler containing wine and more than fifteen per cent added natural or artificial blending material, such as fruit juices, flavors, flavorings, or adjuncts, water (plain, carbonated, or sparkling), colorings, or preservatives, and that contains less than seven per cent of alcohol by volume; or
(2) Malt beverage cooler containing beer and added natural or artificial blending material, such as fruit juices, flavors, flavorings, colorings, or preservatives, and that contains less than seven per cent of alcohol by volume.
"Dealer" means the holder of a manufacturer's license, wholesaler's license, brewpub's license, winery's license, or small craft producer's license under the liquor law.
"Distilled spirits" means an alcoholic beverage obtained by the distillation of fermented agricultural products, and includes alcohol for beverage use, spirits of wine, whiskey, rum, brandy, and gin, including all dilutions and mixtures thereof, but does not include beer, draft beer, cooler beverage, or wine.
"Draft beer" means beer in an individual container of seven gallons or more.
"Gallon" or "wine gallon" means that liquid measure containing one hundred twenty-eight fluid ounces (3.7854 liters).
"Licensed premises" shall have the same meaning as the term is used in chapter 281.
"Liquor" has the same meaning as set forth in section 281-1 and includes alcohol, and the liquor categories: beer, draft beer, cooler beverage, distilled spirits, and wine.
"Liquor commission" or "commission" means the liquor commission of each county.
"Liquor law" means chapter 281.
"Permittee" means the holder of a permit provided for in section 244D-2.
"Person" means an individual, partnership, society, unincorporated association, joint adventure, group, hui, joint stock company, corporation, trustee, or other fiduciary, or other entity.
"Sale" means any transfer of title or possession, or both, exchange or barter, in any manner or by any means whatsoever, for a consideration.
"Sparkling wine" means champagne and any other effervescent wine charged with more than 0.392 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 milliliters of wine, whether artificially or as a result of secondary fermentation of wine within the container.
"Still wine" means any nonsparkling wine and shall include those wines containing not more than 0.392 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 milliliters of wine.
"Unit price" for a liquor category taxed under this chapter shall be equal to the total dollar volume of taxable sales, exclusive of all federal and state excise taxes, reported for such liquor category, divided by the total gallons of taxable sales reported for such liquor category over the same period.
"Use" means any use, whether such use is of such nature as to cause the property to be appreciably consumed or not, or the keeping of such property for such use or for sale, and shall include the exercise of any right or power over tangible personal property incident to the ownership of that property.
"Wine" means the product obtained from normal alcoholic fermentation of the juice of sound ripe grapes or other agricultural products containing natural or added sugar or any such alcoholic beverage to which is added grape brandy, fruit brandy, or spirits of wine, which is distilled from the particular agricultural product or products of which the wine is made and other rectified wine products and by whatever name and which contains not more than twenty-four per cent of alcohol by volume, and includes vermouth and sake, known as Japanese rice wine, but does not include cooler beverage. [L Sp 1984 1st, c 1, pt of §2; am L 1986, c 344, §2; am L 1989, c 149, §1; am L 1994, c 174, §1; am L 2017, c 12, §57; am L 2021, c 116, §5]