alcohol beverages generally

Most people expect fruit and vegetable matter in their spirits. Less commonly, they expect — meat. And yet it’s not so very rare. The most obvious “meat,” in common use, is the lowly worm that’s been sitting at the bottom of your Mezcal bottle for many years. Gusano Rojo Mezcal is a good example, because the label has a nice little picture of the worm. Mezcal Beneva is a second example. The Beverage Tasting Institute explains:

The famous “worm” that is found in some bottles of Mezcal (con gusano — “with worm”) is actually the larva of one of two moths that live on the agave plant. The reason for adding the worm to the bottle of Mezcal is obscure. But one story, that at least has the appeal of logic to back it up, is that the worm serves as proof of high proof, which is to say that if the worm remains intact in the bottle, the percentage of alcohol in the spirit is high enough to preserve the pickled worm. Consuming the worm, which can be done without harm, has served as a rite of passage for generations of fraternity boys.

We’ll deliver more meat in a day or two.

It is likely that all beer, wine and spirits labels will change dramatically in the near future. TTB has been working on new rules since CSPI and other groups submitted a petition in 2003. The new rules would require a “Serving Facts” panel on every container. This panel would include a lot more information, such as the typical serving size, number of servings per container, calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Because this is a big, controversial change, TTB has received more than 18,000 public comments during the past few years. There are far too many comments for most people to review, and so we will highlight and summarize the most noteworthy comments here. The most recent proposal and comments are here. This is comment 19 in a series; to see others, click on the “serving facts” tag below. The staff of various offices within the Federal Trade Commission submitted a 16 page comment. It said:

1. The FTC staff “supports TTB’s proposal to increase substantially the amount of information contained on alcohol labels.”
2. TTB should require labels to disclose ounces of pure alcohol per serving, rather than alc./vol. This would allow consumers to compare servings of different drinks without doing mathematical calculations.
3. The FTC and TTB share jurisdiction over alcohol beverage labeling, and coordinate often.
4. About 65% of...

It is likely that all beer, wine and spirits labels will change dramatically in the near future. TTB has been working on new rules since CSPI and other groups submitted a petition in 2003. The new rules would require a “Serving Facts” panel on every container. This panel would include a lot more information, such as the typical serving size, number of servings per container, calories, carbohydrates, protein and fat. Because this is a big, controversial change, TTB has received more than 18,000 public comments during the past few years. There are far too many comments for most people to review, and so we will highlight and summarize the most noteworthy comments here. The most recent proposal and comments are here. This is comment 18 in a series; to see others, click on the “serving facts” tag below. NABI is the National Association of Beverage Importers. It is a trade association whose members produce, import and distribute alcohol beverage products. Its three page comment said:

1. The manner of presenting the information should be optional and depend on the space available.
2. For example, a linear format may be suitable in some cases and in others the company could provide the information via a website.
3. The rule is complex especially in combination with state and international rules, and allergen...