The label of your alcoholic beverage plays a crucial purpose, as it allows you to provide consumers with adequate information about its identity and quality. However, what you include on your label is regulated by both federal and state laws.
Here is what to know when labeling your bottles:
Your type of product determines the regulations to follow
Distilled spirits, malt beverages and wine follow unique labeling regulations. Thus, you need to be well informed about the rules governing your specific type(s) of alcoholic beverage.
For example, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) requires companies to include an age statement on the label of any whisky that has not been aged for at least four years.
Information to include
While some details are general, others are specific to the type of alcoholic beverage. For example, all alcoholic beverage bottles containing not less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume should include a health warning statement, which should be titled “GOVERNMENT WARNING,” followed by the particular statement. This warning can be put on the side, back or front label, but it must be separate from other details provided. Further, it must observe the TTB’s legibility requirements.
Further, you should include your brand name on the bottle. This is the name under which your product or line of products is marketed. Your brand name should not provide any misleading information regarding your product’s age, origin, identity or other characteristics.
Other crucial details to include on your bottle are class and type designation, sulfite declaration, percentage of alcohol by volume, saccharin disclosure, treatment/flavoring, disclosure of coloring materials, net contents and so on.
You need to be intentional when handling alcoholic beverage labeling. Learn more about the general and specific regulations to follow to avoid costly mistakes.