Thursday, April 11, 2013
Uncovering Sourced Whiskey: Produced, Made, Bottled or Distilled?
One of my pet peeves is companies that bottle whiskey they bought from elsewhere and pretend they made it themselves. There is a TTB regulation that requires whiskey to include the state of distillation on the bottle. That used to be a good way to tell if something was sourced. Even if an Idaho company was bottling the whiskey, it would have to say that it was distilled in Kentucky or Indiana. Unfortunately, as I pointed out last fall, the TTB does not seem to be enforcing that rule. So now, how can we tell if a whiskey is sourced?
One of the key things to look at is the wording on the label. Under the TTB regulations, only someone who distilled the whiskey can use the term "distilled by" to identify the source of the whiskey. The terms "made by" or "produced by" mean that the whiskey was made by a rectifier (i.e., someone who did not distill it). The problem is that instead of using any of these terms, the term "bottled by" can be used by distillers or rectifiers.
To summarize, if you see the term "distilled by" on the label, you know that the company actually distilled the whiskey, and if you see "produced by" or "made by", you know they did not. If you only see "bottled by," it could go either way. Even so, my new rule of thumb is that if the label doesn't say "distilled by", it's sourced.
So look for the D word on that new brand of whiskey. If you don't see it, chances are they didn't make it.
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12 comments:
That's a really good point, as I'm always trying to think of easy things people can remember if they want to make sure they're buying an actual micro-distillery product. Just look for the words "distilled by."
Nice diagnosis, Sku. Helpful analysis. Thanks.
Richnimrod says;
I'm with ya! I have no beef with someone 'sourcing their juice'; if they don't try to hide the fact. I even like several brands of 'sourced' Bourbon. Ezra B SB comes quickly to mind. If has the skills to prescribe a mashbill, age properly, and mingle barrels the right way to produce a desirable profile, and make enjoyable Bourbon: HAVE AT!... And I applaud their abilities as much as a brand that distills it's own juice.... More maybe, since they have a bit less control.
Okay, so whatever happened to "Too much government regulations! Let the Free Market determine its own rules! If a buyer so ignorant as to be fooled by a simple fraudulent statement or too, too bad for him! We need to shut down all these pesky gov'ment-types messin' 'round in OUR BUSINESS! D@#med LIBERALS!!"
:) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)
EllenJ, the TTB certainly seems to be in favor of not much government regulation these days.
Point taken and much like a recent post of Chuck's made mention of, if you can combine the word "straight" and "distilled by," you've got a product with real potential in your hand.
Great post Sku. For the integrity of American whiskey it's a shame us enthusiasts know this but most won't.
Exactly - #handcrafted isn't always truly handcrafted. Know the #distillery you are buying from, meet the #distiller. Even if it says distilled by they could still be running GNS through their still and claiming they are a craft distillery.
Speaking of sourced whiskey...
The Old Tahoe Rye whiskeys are sourced from House Spirits in Portland. The label doesn't give a state of distillation, only business information and a "procured from..." But a TTB search and a couple phone calls later revealed the source. The Old Tahoe "Distillery" has only been around for two years, but their distributers want me to believe that they have, magically, a three year straight rye whiskey ready to go. Anyway, just a heads up for your complete list.
Sku, my (sarcastic) point exactly. What we need is MORE adherance to regulations, not fewer regulations.
The law is made up of details. I know. I once got off on a speeding ticket because I took it to court and it turned out the violation code number was off by a single digit. I asked the judge if that made the ticket invalid and he said, "it does if you ask me to invalidate it". I did. He did. Case dismissed.
In the notorious Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter 27 (where what is and isn't whisk(e)y is legally defined for labeling purposes) the word "whisky" - with no "e" - is mentioned 78 times. The work "whiskey" is mentioned once, and that is part of a regulation concerning vodka. There is no section in the CFR's definitions that equates the the two, although there are similar definitions that do take spelling into consideration.
Thus, according to the way our legal system sees things, NONE of the regulations that apply to products identified as "whisky" should apply to products identified as something else, say "chocolate milk" or "whiskey". I've often wondered just what a really good hot-shot lawyer could with that. Then again, maybe some already have?
Off-the-wall stuff to think about.
EllenJ, clever idea, but I wouldn't bank on it. While there are a lot of technical aspects involved in laws, most interpreters (be they agencies or judges) are trying to effectuate the purpose of whatever laws or regulations are at issue. I can't see someone getting away with saying they don't have to follow the rules because they spelled the word differently.
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