Carroll County board fines Asian Sake for record‑keeping violation after inspection

The Carroll County Board of License Commissioners on Thursday found Asian Sake (405 North Center Street, Westminster) culpable of violating the board’s Rule 12 record‑keeping requirement and imposed a $500 fine with $400 suspended, after a state inspection identified two 1.75‑liter bottles for which the restaurant could not produce invoices.

Agent Ted Vaughn of the Maryland Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Commission testified that on June 14, 2024, he conducted a routine alcohol inspection at Asian Sake and "initiated the visual inspection of the bar area" and identified two 1.75‑liter bottles (Jack Daniel’s and Grey Goose) that appeared new and for which no matching invoices were found in the establishment’s records. Vaughn said he contacted the distributor listed in the licensee’s paperwork (identified in the file as Breakthrough) and that the company had no record of sales of the 1.75‑liter containers to the restaurant.

Inspector Keith Benfer, who filed a Carroll County incident report, told the board the licensee had multiple opportunities — at notice and at the hearing — to produce invoices but did not. The board admitted photographs and the state case materials into evidence. Board members asked detailed questions about the number of bottles on site (an agent estimated roughly 15 total) and whether other distributor records had been checked.

The licensee, identified in the hearing as Ying/Yin Han Liu, testified under oath that the restaurant had been slow after the pandemic and that invoices had been lost or were not readily available; she apologized to the board, saying, "I just want to apologize for the issue." She acknowledged that she and some employees had not completed alcohol‑management certification and agreed to follow up with staff and inspectors about training.

In deliberations the board concluded the evidence did not meet the preponderance standard to prove a violation of state law (Alcoholic Beverage §6‑3‑11(b)(1), which prohibits purchasing beverage alcohol except from licensed wholesalers), but the board did find the licensee violated Carroll County Rule 12 by failing to keep required records. A motion that the fine be $500 with $400 suspended (conditioned on no further violations in 12 months) passed on voice vote. The board informed the licensee that the action would be mailed and that she had 30 days to satisfy the fine upon official receipt.

The board recessed briefly during the hearing to obtain legal advice about charge validity and penalty options before returning to vote. The case was closed after the decision was announced.