How to Read a Whiskey Label: What the Federal Rules Actually Require

How to Read aWhiskey Label

A US whiskey label is a legal document with a marketing job on the side. Federal rules in 27 CFR Part 5 decide what must appear, what key words mean and when an age must be printed, so the label tells you a lot once you know the vocabulary.

Every spirits label must state a class and type. "Whisky" is the class. "Bourbon whisky", "rye whisky", "straight bourbon whisky" and "corn whisky" are types, each with a standard of identity in 27 CFR 5.143.

Bourbon must come from a mash of at least 51 percent corn, be distilled at no more than 160 proof, go into new charred oak containers at no more than 125 proof, and contain no added coloring, flavoring or blending materials. Like all whisky, it is bottled at 80 proof or higher. "Whisky" alone promises less. For the full rule set, see What is bourbon?.

The mandatory number is ABV, written as something like "45% alc/vol". Proof is optional, but if it appears it must sit in the same field of vision as the ABV. In the US, proof is ABV doubled, so 45 percent ABV is 90 proof.

The allowed tolerance is plus or minus 0.3 percentage points. Whatever the number, a measured pour and a splash of water are a good way to taste.

Federally, age is time spent in oak barrels between distillation and bottling. Tank and bottle time do not count.

If a whiskey is younger than 4 years, the label must state its age, except when it is bottled in bond. The standard format is "___ years old", and age may also be given in months or days. When whiskeys of different ages are combined, the stated age must be that of the youngest. Understating age is allowed. Overstating it is not.

At 4 years or older, an age statement is optional. Whiskey stored in reused oak barrels uses different wording: "stored ___ years in reused cooperage".

"Straight" is a defined type, not a flavor note. A straight bourbon or straight rye was distilled at 160 proof or less and stored at 125 proof or less in charred new oak for at least 2 years, with no neutral spirits and no added coloring, flavoring or blending materials. It can be a mixture of straight whiskeys made in the same state.

Combine that with the age rule: straight whiskey with no age statement is at least 4 years old. More in Straight bourbon.

Under 27 CFR 5.88, bottled in bond spirits must be:

• the same kind, distilled from the same class of materials;
• distilled in one distilling season (January to June, or July to December), by one distiller, at one distillery;
• stored at least 4 years in wooden containers;
• reduced only with pure water and bottled at 50 percent ABV (100 proof).

The label must show the name under which the spirits were distilled, plus the plant number (DSP number) where they were distilled and the plant number where they were bottled.

These phrases come from 27 CFR 5.66. Each names a different role; none ranks above another.

• Distilled by names the distiller and its address. If the spirits were bottled for the distiller, "distilled by and bottled for" or "bottled for" may be used.
• Bottled by (or "canned by", "packed by", "filled by") names the company that filled the container. On its own, it does not say who distilled the contents.
• Produced by, like "blended by", "made by", "prepared by" and "manufactured by", names a processor. For spirits, the regulation says "produced by" indicates processing that changes the class or type, such as adding flavors.

The address is the city and state where the work happened (or the principal place of business) and must match the federal permit. When different companies did different steps, the label may not suggest one did them all.

For most American whiskey types (bourbon, rye, wheat, malt, rye malt, corn, their straight versions, whisky distilled from a named mash, and American single malt), the label must disclose the state where the whiskey was originally distilled. That can be done with:

• a "distilled by" statement listing a single location;
• a "bottled by" address in the state of distillation;
• the state name next to the type, such as "Kentucky straight bourbon whisky", which requires that it was both distilled and aged in that state;
• a separate line such as "Distilled in Indiana".

Part 5 does not define "finished", but TTB has said how it reads one. Bourbon must mature in new charred oak, so a bourbon that then spends time in a used cask (sherry, port, stout, tequila) no longer fits the bourbon standard on its own. TTB treats it as a distilled spirits specialty and expects the label to say what happened in plain words, such as "bourbon whisky finished in sherry casks." A label that just says "bourbon" and hides the cask in the small print is not enough. Any age statement still reflects the youngest whiskey in the bottle. See Cask finished whiskey.

Bottle size must appear in metric units, such as 750 ml, and only sizes authorized by 27 CFR 5.203 (including 50 ml, 375 ml, 700 ml, 750 ml, 1 L and 1.75 L) may be used.