July 19, 2026 – Village of Germantown, WI – The Germantown Village Board approved a conditional use permit for a new liquor store to go into where the former Pier 1 Imports was located at the Germantown Plaza, N96 W18768 County Line Rd, Germantown, Wl.
The new store will be called Barrel & Bottle Liquor Co. Emily Abel of Jackson, WI is listed as the owner.
According to the agenda packet:
Barrel & Bottle Liquor Co. is a retail-focused liquor store concept combining traditional off-premise alcohol sales with a limited accessory tasting and educational component.
The primary use of the approximately 10,540 sq. ft. facility is retail sales of packaged alcoholic beverages, including spirits, wine, beer, and THC beverages, with a focus on craft, local, and specialty products. The business is designed as a full-service retail environment intended to provide a curated customer experience while remaining compatible with surrounding commercial uses within the Germantown Plaza.
The majority of the facility is dedicated to retail operations, including spirits and wine shelving, cold beer storage, seasonal displays, customer service areas, and related merchandise. The retail floor includes approximately eight 20-foot double-sided gondola shelving units, a walk-in cigar humidor, and a 12-door walk-in beer cooler located along the left wall adjacent to the customer service and online pickup area.
A limited tasting area is located along the rear interior wall of the facility and is intended solely for product sampling, education, and customer engagement. The tasting area is accessory to the primary retail use and is not intended to function as a traditional tavern, bar, or entertainment venue. Seating within the tasting area is limited in scale and designed to support controlled tasting experiences and educational events.
Adjacent to the tasting area is a fill-your-own bottle station allowing controlled customer participation in bottle filling under staff supervision. A viewing window located next to the tasting area provides visibility into the back-of-house production and barrel storage area without allowing public access.
A limited production, office, and storage area is located in the rear, non-public portion of the facility and occupies no more than 10% of the total floor area. Operations within this space are limited to low-impact activities associated with a non-distilling producer model, including blending, proofing, infusing, bottling, and labeling sourced spirits under a private label program. No distillation, fermentation, or other high-impact manufacturing activities will occur on site.
The business intends to operate in compliance with Wisconsin Statute § 125.52 governing craft distillery permits and non-distilling producer activities. All tasting and service activities will be conducted in accordance with applicable state and local regulations and responsible alcohol service practices.
The operation is designed as a controlled, indoor, retail-oriented environment with no outdoor activity, no live entertainment, no amplified music, and no late-night operations. Existing shared parking within the Germantown Plaza is adequate to support the proposed use.
Barrel & Bottle Liquor Co. is intended to complement the Germantown Plaza by activating existing retail space with a unique, community-oriented concept focused on retail, education, and customer experience while remaining compatible with surrounding commercial development.
An opening date has yet to be released.
