§ 19.487 - Kind of spirits.

§ 19.487 Kind of spirits.

(a) Designation. The designations of kind of spirits required for packages filled on bonded premises must be consistent with the classes and types of spirits set forth in part 5 of this chapter subject to the following exceptions or conditions:

(1) A proprietor may designate as “Alcohol” spirits distilled at more than 160 proof, which lack the taste, aroma, and other characteristics generally attributed to whisky, brandy, rum, or gin, and which are substantially neutral in character. When alcohol so designated is withdrawn on determination of tax, the designation must consist of the word “Alcohol” preceded or followed by a word or phrase that describes the material from which the alcohol was produced;

(2) The designation for vodka, neutral spirits, or gin must include a word or phrase that describes the material from which the spirits were produced;

(3) A proprietor may designate as “Spirits”, preceded or followed by a word or phrase that describes the material from which the spirits were produced, those distilled spirits that are distilled at less than 190 proof which lack the taste, aroma, and other characteristics generally attributed to whisky, brandy, rum, or gin. However, the proprietor may not designate such spirits as “Spirits grain” or “Grain spirits”;

(4) A proprietor must designate spirits distilled from fruit at or above 190 proof, if intended for use in wine production, as “Neutral Spirits - Fruit”, preceded or followed by the name of the fruit from which the spirits were produced;

(5) A proprietor may designate as “Whisky” spirits distilled at not more than 160 proof from a fermented mash of not less than 51 percent rye, corn, wheat, malted barley, or malted rye grain, packaged in reused cooperage, provided that the designation is further qualified with the words “Distilled from rye mash” (or bourbon, wheat, malt, or rye malt mash, as the case may be). However, spirits designated as “Whisky” must, if distilled from a fermented mash of not less than 80 percent corn, carry the designation “Corn Whisky.”

(b) Change of designation. After written application to, and approval of, the appropriate TTB officer, a proprietor may at any time before their withdrawal from bonded premises, change the original designation for spirits to a new designation properly describing the spirits in accordance with the provisions of this section.

(c) Other designations. If a proprietor proposes to produce spirits for which a designation has not been prescribed in this section or in part 5 of this chapter, the proprietor must first make written application to the appropriate TTB officer for a designation for such spirits, and the proprietor must then designate the spirits accordingly.

(d) Spirits for nonindustrial use. A proprietor may not treat the provisions of this section as constituting authorization to apply designations to spirits withdrawn for nonindustrial use if those designations do not conform to the requirements of part 5 of this chapter.

(26 U.S.C. 5206)