No, the entire party consumes the beverages just like normal unless it is sold or destroyed before party consumption. I am going to write a mod that tests this. As stated in other posts I am a C# tools programmer, it's my profession so this should be a trivial task. Gotta check the API and see where this can be modified. That is all.
I like this. I also think that we should be able to equip our generic troops, essentially giving us the ability to change their class - doing so would come with a penalty - make items that are made poorly potentially break in battle.
I agree with this. Coal is certainly a resource that is much need as this would be used at forge for smelting and forging. I also think that there should be a cost to use a forge that is not your own - essentially this would mean you are paying more than just stamina to increase your smithing skill.
I think it can be as well. I've worked as a tools programmer in the industry and I just got the development kit, so I'm take a crack it in my free time.