About the drinks association
In 1897 a small group of liquor merchants met in Sydney to form the Wine & Spirit Association of NSW. Membership subscriptions were accepted from every leading liquor merchant in the city and, by the end of the 1890’s, included the management of Sydney’s leading breweries. Unfortunately all records from the early years were destroyed by fire.
The Federated Wine & Spirit Merchants Association of Australia was formed in 1934 to lobby the Federal Government for a reduction in excise. All States were included in the Association by 1935.
To match the changing needs of its member companies the Liquor Merchants Association of Australia was restructured in 1991. The Association nationalised to become a services-driven organisation to meet the industry’s basic needs for credit information, licensing, industrial representation and information on Government.
In December 2012 the association restructured and became the drinks assocation.
Today the drinks association strives to be the pre-eminent supplier of information and commonly required business services to the Australian liquor industry.