TTB does not usually allow vintage-, varietal- or appellation-type claims on distilled spirits labels. The rationale is that these concepts tend to be more appropriate for wine. But here are a couple of notable exceptions. Roth Vodka displays “California” in much the manner of an appellation. This vodka also happens to be distilled from grapes, and has something close to a vintage date on the front label. The latter apparently went too far, and TTB directed Roth to remove the date. In some ways, the Primo Vodka label goes a bit further. It mentions a specific grape type, along with the source of those grapes. One side tends to argue that these claims are truthful and verifiable. TTB tends to argue that characteristics such as vintage, varietal and appellation are subtle to begin with; distillation (let alone distillation to the point of neutrality) tends to obliterate such characteristics; and it’s misleading to suggest otherwise. Do consumers need this protection?
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Highly Flammable Spirits
Bacardi revamped its 151 proof rum labels in May. At almost 76% alcohol, this rum is of course flammable as well as potent. The labeling includes not less than eight warnings to this effect. The bottle also includes a flame arrester. One of the main warnings says, “Do not use this product for flaming dishes or drinks.” It’s a little bit like a Maserati with a warning that you should not exceed 55 mph. We kind of thought flaming drinks were one of the main purposes for this product. If not, we went in search of the more conservative uses for this product. We found very little, with no trace of this product on Bacardi’s US website. This group seems to have no idea what to do with it either. At an even higher concentration of alcohol is Golden Grain Grain Alcohol. It is 95% alcohol and is also plastered with warnings throughout the front, back and neck labels. This is a rare example of TTB allowing warnings other than the specific health warning mandated by Congress (see this for an example of a warning not allowed). It’s hard to say the extra warnings are not warranted here.
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Good Beer No Shi*
Dear Flying Dog, Please tell me about your battle. It sounds interesting. Sincerely, bevlog
The Road Dog Porter label mentions shit not less than five times. Who would have expected the Founders were fighting for a beer company’s right to say this, and who ever thought a beer company would go so far to claim it. The label says:
We spent four long years in court fighting for our first amendment right to display the phrase “Good Beer, No Shit” on every bottle of Road Dog. In honor of sticking it to the man…
Fermentarium has part of the story:
Continue Reading Leave a CommentThe real heart of the issue is … You can’t put something indecent on the label. Unfortunately it is some guy in the government who gets to decide what’s considered obscene. He might be cool or he might be the most uptight person in the world. There is no way for the brewer to know. You might consider something obscene, but others may find the label acceptable. For example, is profanity considered obscene? In 2001, the State of Colorado said yes it is. Flying Dog Brewery’s Road Dog Ale label was rejected because the label said “good beer… no shit”. The ACLU and Flying Dog Brewery sued stating the...
Stamps and the Stamper
Every now and then, TTB likes to say stamps (and things looking like postage stamps) are not allowed. Don’t ask me why. Maybe they look like “government symbols” or endorsements. All I know for sure is that TTB has resisted, tooth and nail, on more than one occasion. But if you have your heart set on using stamp imagery, it is well worth a try, as these many labels show. Benton-Lane is pinot noir from the Wilamette Valley. Times Ten is a cabernet-merlot blend from the Napa Valley. And here is Hardys Stamp of Australia Shiraz.
Continue Reading Leave a CommentCSPI Comment; Top 6 Things to Know
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 20 in a series; to see others, click on the “serving facts” tag below. CSPI submitted a 10 page comment. It said:
- CSPI has been pushing TTB and ATF on this since 1972.
- Alcohol beverage labels offer few uniform disclosures to help consumers. Consumers deserve basic, uniform information that can help them “measure, monitor, and moderate their drinking.”
- Alcohol is “America’s most popular, legal drug.”
- TTB ignores more than 35 years of requests for ingredient labeling, and instead requires disclosure of rarely occurring nutrients such as fats and proteins. TTB should also require...
Tags: policy, serving facts/allergens
Cassava Beer
BusinessWeek recently reported that SABMiller is looking at several low-cost alternatives to barley. Cassava is one of the most promising. Cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates for human food in the world. This woody shrub yields more food energy per acre per day, compared to almost any crop other than sugarcane. SABMiller is also looking at sorghum as a much lower-cost alternative to corn and barley, at least in poor countries. The Hooligan label is way ahead of the trend here, using both cassava and sorghum. It is likely that this Widmer product was too early. Under this 2008 TTB Ruling it is unlikely TTB would re-approve the product, and this may explain why the current status of this label is “surrendered.” TTB requires “beer” to be made with malted barley and hops.
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