For all those occasions when Cisco or Schlitz Malt Liquor is far too classy, may we heartily recommend this fine almond flavored wine? Even if this is not a big seller in the US, this page vaguely suggests that this winery makes a similar product for export.

There is a lot going on with this label. First and most obviously, it’s in the style of a cream liqueur, but it’s classified as a wine. The back label is in the style of a front label. And it’s made with whey neutral spirits. Wikipedia says whey is “the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained; it is a by-product of the manufacture of cheese or casein.” It is further evidence that wine and spirits can be made from a huge number of commodities. Dr. John Murtagh was an expert on converting whey into spirits:

Since 1979 John has been retained as a consultant to Carbery Distillers Ltd. of Ireland, on the development and operation of their process for the fermentation of cheese whey, to produce very-high-quality neutral spirit for beverage and industrial uses. He has also been responsible for the commissioning of three whey-alcohol plants for Carbery licensees in New Zealand and the U.S., and continues to visit and assist these plants.

Way before the Prius and the Civic Hybrid, the original hybrid was Pink Champale. We call it a hybrid because it looks a lot like Champagne (sort of) — but it’s really beer. In tiny print, the label says it is a Malt Beverage with Natural Flavors and Artificial Color. Champale has certainly stood the test of time; the above approval is from this year and Gono.com has an excellent collection of Champale ads going all the way back to 1960. The above ad is from about 1978, and the 1962 ad refers directly to Champagne. Smirnoff Ice is a much later example of the increasingly common trend toward hybrids (it has a malt beverage base but a hugely famous spirits brand name). The beer versus wine versus spirits categorization is a critically important part of TTB’s role, because of a dramatically different excise tax on each category. In many cases (such as beers loaded up with flavors) it is very difficult to assign the product to the most appropriate category.