Quote:
(I note bizarrely that in the rest of the world Smirnoff Ice is made from vodka as you would expect, where as in the US it is described as being made from a "malt alternative")

That's because many US states have strange laws concerning the sale of liquor and beer. For example, in NY you never see beer sold in a liquor store and liquor is never sold in a supermarket or convenience store (where you would usually buy beer). I don't know if that's true of all of NY, but it is around here.

In NJ, it seems anything goes. Beer and hard liquor can co-exist.

In PA I think you still have to buy hard liquor and wine from state-run liquor stores. Beer in 6-packs can only be bought at bars, but you may be able to buy cases of beer in supermarkets... I can't recall.

That's just the 3 states that are closest to me. There are 47 more with their own strange laws. In any case, it seems it's easier to sell a malt beverage (Smirnoff Ice is considered "flavored beer" in some states) than it is to sell a product with hard liquor in it.
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-Rob Riccardelli
80GB 16MB MK2 090000736