When successful Idaho restaurateur Kevin Settles looked for a place to open a fourth Bardenay restaurant and distillery, he looked to Colorado, not Idaho, the Idaho Business Review reports, because of Idaho’s pricey and prohibitive liquor license laws. “I would like to operate in a state that doesn’t have a state control system,” said Bardenay owner Kevin Settles. That system means a liquor license in Boise is now going for about $175,000, he said. The Business Review reports that Boise now has 145 issued licenses and 61 names on its waiting list; the top name on the list has been on the waiting list since 1999/Betsy Russell, Eye on Boise. More here.

• Factoid: Settles owns Bardenay restaurants in Boise, Eagle & Coeur d'Alene.