Have a cocktail, support local agriculture

Sometimes the folks who sit around figuring out how to raise state revenues actually come up with a plan that’s a win all the way around. Consider the recent national growth in micro-distilleries (also called craft or boutique distilleries), in which Colorado is becoming a major player. It is not as if restaurants, bars and liquor stores were short of spirits or that “Mad Men” spurred a grassroots movement that rose up and demanded small-batch vodka. It was about taxes.

“State governments were looking for ways to help agriculture,´ said Scott Leopold, CEO of Leopold Bros., based in…