BDN Staff

HOULTON, Maine — The state Attorney General’s office has ruled that a “botanically brewed beverage” that contains a small amount of alcohol cannot be sold to minors in Maine.

State, local and substance abuse officials confirmed late Thursday that Fentiman’s Victorian Lemonade, a product that was created in the United Kingdom in 1905 and is now distributed in the U.S., falls under the category of “imitation liquor.”

It now cannot be sold to anyone under 21 years of age.

Under state law, “imitation liquor” means “any product containing less than one half of 1 percent alcohol by volume which seeks to imitate by appearance, taste and smell liquor or which is designed to carry the impression to the purchaser that the beverage has an alcohol content.”

According to a statement from the North American branch of the company, Fentiman’s products are “Botanically Brewed Beverages.” It states that products such as the lemonade are “classified as sodas or soft drinks.” “Naturally fermented, they contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol, so they may be enjoyed by all ages and offered by every retail outlet, restaurant, pub, hotel or ... well, anyone,” the statement reads.

Substance abuse prevention groups lauded the news late Thursday, while Greg Warwick, the president of Fentimans North America, called the news “disappointing.”