When was the last time you tried TTB’s Formulas Online (FONL) system? It continues to change every few months, since its inception a few years ago. When I went to use it earlier this week I was struck by how much information TTB is loading into the system.

As an example, let’s take a look at what FONL has to say about colors (food and beverage colors such as FD& Red #40). First you log in and get your home screen (as above).

Then you click along and go to enter some ingredients. Near this area, there is a handy definition of what is a “color” (in this context). It’s not always an easy question. Ok bigshot, is saffron a color? What about grape juice? The help points out that the predominant reason for the addition is the key, when the ingredient has more than one function (such as color and flavor).

Once we verify we are in fact talking about a color, you would proceed as here.

Once you click “Color,” it very helpfully pulls up a list of the most common and allowable colors, along with alternative names such as Red 40/E 129. This list goes on to cover fruit juice, grape skin extract/enocianina/E 163, mica, oak,...

The latest issue of Beverage Master just came in last week. It is the October-November issue and has a fine article about Moonshine University, if I may say so myself. A small excerpt is below, and you can find the entire article, and indeed the whole issue, here.

There is a lot of talk about Moonshine University, launched in early 2013. As this Louisville, Kentucky training center moves toward year five of educating new distillers, I contacted some of the principals, to see how it’s going. The questions are from me, and most of the answers are from Christin Head, Registrar at Moonshine University.

1. What is Moonshine University? Moonshine University is an artisan distillery and education center located in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. Our distillery is adjacent to our state-of-the-art classroom and is set up for small runs and hands-on distilling training. We offer technical training and business management education for start-ups, industry professionals, and those looking for careers in the distilling industry. Our courses are designed and taught by distillery operators, industry insiders, and world-renowned master distillers.

2. When did it start and how many classes so far? Moonshine University opened in January 2013. We have just completed our thirteenth session of our flagship course, the 5-Day Distiller Course. All...

TTB put out Ruling 2016-3 at the end of September. It relates to spirits formula approvals, and is intended to cut some of the burdens for spirits companies and for TTB. It’s also sort of long. Word says it is 3,573 (carefully chosen) words. My mission is to break it down to 15% or less.

The gist is, TTB will help you avoid formula approval for many products in these big categories: vodka, rum, whisky, brandy. Some details, on each category, are below. If you want the whole story, you can go to the Ruling, and the elaborations at Industry Circular 2016-1 (for imports) and Guidance 2016-3. Rather than knocking out the formula approval requirements in the spirits regulations, TTB explains: “TTB will not accept for review new formulas submitted for products approved under this ruling. This ruling serves as the approval that is required by §§ 5.26, 5.27, and 19.348.”

1. Vodka. The Ruling takes advantage of the fact that vodka already has a narrow standard of identity and explains that if you are clearly within it, the Ruling should be used instead of submitting a formula. Only a bit of sugar and citric acid allowed.
2. Rum. The standard is not quite so narrow, as compared to vodka, but it’s...