§ 5.52 - Legibility and other requirements for mandatory information on labels.

§ 5.52 Certificates of age and origin.

(a) Scotch, Irish, and Canadian whiskies.

(1) Scotch, Irish, and Canadian whiskies, imported in containers, are not eligible for release from customs custody for consumption, and no person may remove such whiskies from customs custody for consumption, unless that person has obtained and is in possession of an invoice accompanied by a certificate of origin issued by an official duly authorized by the appropriate foreign government, certifying:

(i) That the particular distilled spirits are Scotch, Irish, or Canadian whisky, as the case may be; and

(ii) That the distilled spirits have been manufactured in compliance with the laws of the respective foreign governments regulating the manufacture of whisky for home consumption.

(2) In addition, an official duly authorized by the appropriate foreign government must certify to the age of the youngest distilled spirits in the container. The age certified shall be the period during which, after distillation and before bottling, the distilled spirits have been stored in oak containers.

(b) Brandy and Cognac. Brandy (other than fruit brandies of a type not customarily stored in oak containers) or Cognac, imported in bottles, is not eligible for release from customs custody for consumption, and no person may remove such brandy or Cognac from customs custody for consumption, unless the person so removing the brandy or Cognac possesses a certificate issued by an official duly authorized by the appropriate foreign country certifying that the age of the youngest brandy or Cognac in the bottle is not less than two years, or if age is stated on the label that none of the distilled spirits are of an age less than that stated. The age certified shall be the period during which, after distillation and before bottling, the distilled spirits have been stored in oak containers. If the label of any fruit brandy, not stored in oak containers, bears any statement of storage in another type of container, the brandy is not eligible for release from customs custody for consumption, and no person may remove such brandy from customs custody for consumption, unless the person so removing the brandy possesses a certificate issued by an official duly authorized by the appropriate foreign government certifying to such storage. Cognac, imported in bottles, is not eligible for release from customs custody for consumption, and no person may remove such Cognac from customs custody for consumption, unless the person so removing the Cognac possesses a certificate issued by an official duly authorized by the French Government, certifying that the product is grape brandy distilled in the Cognac region of France and entitled to be designated as “Cognac” by the laws and regulations of the French Government.

(c) Tequila.

(1) Tequila imported in bottles is not eligible for release from customs custody for consumption, and no person may remove such Tequila from customs custody for consumption, unless the person removing such Tequila possesses a Certificate of Tequila Export issued by an official duly authorized by the Mexican Government, or a conformity assessment body, stating that the product is entitled to be designated as Tequila under the applicable laws and regulations of the Mexican Government.

(2) If the label of any Tequila imported in bottles contains any statement of age, the Tequila is not eligible for release from customs custody for consumption, and no person may remove such Tequila from customs custody for consumption, unless the person removing the Tequila possesses a Certificate of Tequila Export issued by an official duly authorized by the Mexican Government, or a conformity assessment body, as to the age of the youngest Tequila in the bottle. The age certified shall be the period during which the Tequila has been stored in oak containers after distillation and before bottling.

(d) Other whiskies. Whisky, as defined in § 5.22(b)(1), (4), (5), and (6), imported in bottles, is not eligible for release from customs custody for consumption, and no person shall remove such whiskies from customs custody for consumption, unless that person has obtained and is in possession of a certificate issued by an official duly authorized by the appropriate foreign government certifying:

(1) In the case of whisky, whether or not mixed or blended but containing no neutral spirits,

(i) the class and type thereof,

(ii) the American proof at which produced,

(iii) that no neutral spirits (or other whisky in the case of straight whisky) has been added as a part thereof or included therein, whether or not for the purpose of replacing outage,

(iv) the age of the whisky, and

(v) the type of oak container in which such age was acquired (whether new or reused; also whether charred or uncharred);

(2) In the case of whisky containing neutral spirits,

(i) the class and type thereof,

(ii) the percentage of straight whisky, if any, used in the blend,

(iii) the American proof at which the straight whisky was produced,

(iv) the percentage of other whisky, if any, in the blend,

(v) the percentage of neutral spirits in the blend, and the name of the commodity from which distilled,

(vi) the age of the straight whisky and the age of the other whisky in the blend, and

(vii) the type of oak containers in which such age or ages were acquired (whether new or reused; also whether charred or uncharred).

(e) Rum. Rum imported in bottles that contain any statement of age is not eligible to be released from customs custody for consumption, and no person may remove such rum from customs custody for consumption, unless the person so removing the rum possesses a certificate issued by an official duly authorized by the appropriate foreign country, certifying to the age of the youngest rum in the bottle. The age certified shall be the period during which, after distillation and before bottling, the distilled spirits have been stored in oak containers.

(f) Miscellaneous. Distilled spirits (other than Scotch, Irish, and Canadian whiskies, and Cognac) imported in bottles are not eligible for release from customs custody for consumption, and no person shall remove such spirits from customs custody for consumption, unless that person has obtained and is in possession of an invoice accompanied by a certificate of origin issued by an official duly authorized by the appropriate foreign government, if the issuance of such certificates with respect to such distilled spirits is required by the foreign government concerned, certifying as to the identity of the distilled spirits and that the distilled spirits have been manufactured in compliance with the laws of the respective foreign government regulating the manufacture of such distilled spirits for home consumption.

(g) Retention of certificates. The importer of distilled spirits imported in bottles must retain for five years following the removal of such spirits from customs custody copies of the certificates required by paragraphs (a) through (f) of this section, and must provide them upon request of the appropriate TTB officer or a customs officer.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 1513-0064)

[T.D. 7020, 34 FR 20337, Dec. 30, 1969, as amended by T.D. ATF-7, 38 FR 33471, Dec. 5, 1973; T.D. TTB-145, 81 FR 94198, Dec. 22, 2016; T.D. TTB-158, 85 FR 18724, Apr. 2, 2020; 85 FR 20423, Apr. 13, 2020]