Relaxed standards of fill for wine, spirits on the table

   The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) on Monday published notices of proposed rulemaking that would relax standards of fill requirements for containers that store distilled spirits and wine.
   The proposed rule for distilled spirits would eliminate all but minimum and maximum standards of fill for distilled spirits containers, thus eliminating “unnecessary regulatory requirements,” the agency said.
   The proposed rule for wine would eliminate all but minimum standards of fill for wine containers.
   The proposed rules apply to imports, TTB said.
   TTB is accepting comments through Aug. 30 on the proposed rules and is seeking comments on the “relative merits” of alternatives, such as adding new authorized standards of fill and developing an expedited process for adding additional standards in the future, the agency said.
   “All of these approaches would eliminate restrictions that inhibit competition and the movement of goods in domestic and international commerce,” TTB said.
   The agency is also proposing to amend labeling regulations for distilled spirits and malt beverages to provide for distilled spirits to be labeled with the equivalent U.S. measure in addition to the mandatory metric measure and that malt beverages may be labeled with the equivalent metric measures in addition to the mandatory U.S. measure, TTB said.
   That labeling is currently allowed but not explicitly stated in current regulations, the agency said.
   The revision would align the distilled spirits and malt beverage labeling regulations with current policy and wine labeling regulations, which already state that wine may be labeled with the equivalent standard U.S. measure in addition to the mandatory metric measure.
   “The proposal, if adopted, would reduce the regulatory burden on distilled spirits producers and importers by providing greater flexibility in the choice of product container sizes,” TTB said.