The policy
Alcohol must not be sold or supplied to any person under the age of 18, and staff must follow this policy whenever an individual places, collects, receives or otherwise takes possession of an alcohol order on behalf of a trade customer.
Before a new wholesale customer is approved, reasonable checks must be carried out to confirm the customer is a genuine business and, where applicable, holds the licences, registrations or other authority required for its activities. Orders must only be released to the customer or to a person authorised to act on its behalf.
Age verification at collection or delivery
Where an individual collecting or receiving alcohol appears to be under 21, staff must request acceptable proof of age before releasing the goods.
The identification must confirm that the individual is 18 years of age or older. If satisfactory identification cannot be produced, the alcohol must not be handed over and the matter must be referred to a responsible person.
The same approach applies where alcohol is ordered remotely and is later collected from, or delivered by or on behalf of, Simpson Sterling Reserve & Co.
Acceptable proof of age
- A photocard driving licence
- A passport
- A proof-of-age card bearing the PASS hologram, or any other identification permitted under applicable licensing requirements
Responsible persons and authorised staff
For the purposes of this policy, responsibility for implementing and enforcing age-verification procedures rests with the premises licence holder, the Designated Premises Supervisor and any appropriately authorised member of staff involved in the sale, release, collection or delivery of alcohol.
Staff awareness and records
The premises licence holder will ensure that all staff involved in wholesale alcohol sales, order release, collections and deliveries are made aware of this policy and receive appropriate instructions. Refusals or concerns should be recorded in accordance with the company’s procedures and referred to the Designated Premises Supervisor or another responsible person.
Confirmation on this website
Visitors must confirm that they are 18 or over before browsing the Sterling Reserve pages. This website confirmation does not replace the customer and identification checks set out above. Submitting an enquiry does not create an order or confirm approval to purchase.