Beverage Alcohol Glossary

Alcohol Beverage Labeling Act (ABLA) The Alcohol Beverage Labeling Act of 1988 (ABLA) is the federal law that mandates the health warning statement on all alcoholic beverage con... Beverage Alcohol Beverage alcohol refers to any alcoholic drink intended for human consumption, including wine, distilled spirits, and malt beverages, as dis... COLA (Certificate of Label Approval) A COLA (Certificate of Label Approval) is the official federal authorization from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) that pe... Internal Revenue Code (IRC) — Alcohol Provisions The Internal Revenue Code (IRC) contains the federal tax provisions governing the production, storage, and distribution of beverage alcohol,... TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) The TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) is the federal agency within the U.S. Department of the Treasury responsible for regulati... TTB ID A TTB ID is the unique 14-digit identification number assigned by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to each Certificate of Label ...

Age Statement An age statement is a declaration on a distilled spirits label indicating the length of time the product was stored in oak containers, which... Alcohol Content Alcohol content is the measured percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) in a beverage, which must be declared on the label and accurately stat... Formula A formula is a detailed quantitative recipe submitted to the TTB for pre-approval, listing all ingredients and step-by-step production metho... Origin Code The origin code is a designation on a COLA application indicating the country of origin for imported products or the state of production for... Serial Number The serial number is an applicant-assigned tracking identifier on a COLA application, typically using a two-digit year prefix followed by up... Standards of Identity Standards of identity are the official TTB definitions that establish exactly what a product must be, in terms of ingredients, production me... Type Designation The type designation is the specific product classification label, such as "Straight Bourbon Whisky" or "London Dry Gin," that must appear o...

Allergen Declaration An allergen declaration on an alcoholic beverage label identifies the presence of major food allergens used in production, including the man... Back Label A back label is the secondary label on an alcoholic beverage container positioned opposite the brand label, commonly used to display mandato... Brand Name A brand name is the primary commercial name under which an alcoholic beverage is marketed and sold, required on every TTB-approved label and... Coloring Additives Coloring additives in alcoholic beverages are substances used to modify or enhance a product's color, subject to TTB approval through the fo... Front Label (Brand Label) The front label, also called the brand label or principal display panel, is the primary label on an alcoholic beverage container that faces ... Geographic Claims Geographic claims on alcoholic beverage labels are regulated statements about where a product was produced, aged, or sourced, subject to TTB... Government Warning Statement The government warning statement is the mandatory health advisory required on all alcoholic beverage containers sold in the United States, e... Health Claims on Labels Health claims on alcoholic beverage labels are strictly regulated by the TTB, with most therapeutic or health-benefit claims prohibited to p... Label Design Label design in the beverage alcohol context encompasses both the creative and regulatory aspects of creating product labels, requiring comp... Mandatory Statements Mandatory statements are the specific text elements required by TTB regulations on every alcoholic beverage label, including brand name, cla... Nutritional Labeling (Alcohol) Nutritional labeling on alcoholic beverages is an optional practice regulated by the TTB that allows producers to display calorie, carbohydr... QR Code Labeling QR code labeling is the growing practice of including scannable QR codes on alcoholic beverage labels that link to digital content including... Responsible Drinking Statement A responsible drinking statement is a voluntary message on alcoholic beverage labels or marketing materials encouraging moderate consumption... Type Size Requirements Type size requirements are the TTB regulations specifying minimum text sizes for mandatory label elements on alcoholic beverage containers, ...

Applicant The applicant is the person or business entity that submits a COLA application to the TTB, typically the holder of the federal basic permit ... Basic Permit Number A basic permit is the federal authorization required by the FAA Act for any person or entity to engage in the business of importing, produci... Bottler A bottler is the entity that packages an alcoholic beverage into its final consumer container, whose identity must be disclosed on the label... Brewer's Number A brewer's number is the unique TTB identifier assigned to each brewery authorized to produce malt beverages in the United States, required ... Importer An importer is a federally permitted entity authorized to bring alcoholic beverages produced in foreign countries into the United States for... Permit Name The permit name is the official business name associated with a TTB federal permit, including both the operating name (DBA or trade name) an... Plant Registry Number A plant registry number is the unique identifier assigned by the TTB to each authorized production facility, including distilled spirits pla... Producer A producer in the beverage alcohol context is the entity that manufactures the alcoholic beverage through distillation, fermentation, blendi... Vendor Code A vendor code is a legacy identification number previously used by the TTB to identify organizations submitting COLA applications, which is ...

AVA (American Viticultural Area) An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a federally recognized grape-growing region in the United States defined by the TTB based on distingu... Estate Bottled Estate bottled is a regulated label term indicating that the winery grew all the grapes in vineyards it owns or controls within the labeled ... Fortified Wine Fortified wine is a wine to which distilled spirits (typically grape brandy) have been added during or after fermentation, increasing the al... Grape Varietal A grape varietal is the specific grape variety used to produce a wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir, which can be d... Reserve (Wine) Reserve is a label term used on wine and some spirits to imply premium quality, which has no legally defined meaning under U.S. TTB regulati... Residual Sugar Residual sugar (RS) is the amount of natural grape sugar remaining in a wine after fermentation is complete, measured in grams per liter, wh... Sparkling Wine Sparkling wine is a wine classification for effervescent wines containing carbon dioxide resulting from fermentation, including Champagne, P... Sulfite Declaration The sulfite declaration is the mandatory label statement "Contains Sulfites" required on all wines containing more than 10 parts per million... Table Wine Table wine is a regulatory classification for still grape wine with an alcohol content not exceeding 14% ABV (historically) or, under curren... Vineyard Designation A vineyard designation is a label reference to a specific named vineyard from which the grapes were sourced, requiring that at least 95% of ... Vintage The vintage is the year in which the grapes used to make a wine were harvested, which may be declared on the label if at least 95% of the wi... Wine Blend A wine blend is a wine made by combining two or more grape varieties, vintages, or vineyard sources, which may be labeled with a proprietary... pH Level The pH level of a wine is a measure of its acidity on a logarithmic scale from 0 to 14, where lower values indicate higher acidity, typicall...

COLA Application A COLA application is the formal submission to the TTB requesting federal approval for a specific alcoholic beverage label, including all ma... COLAs Online COLAs Online is the TTB's web-based electronic system for submitting, tracking, and managing Certificate of Label Approval applications, rep... Certificate of Age A certificate of age is an official document certifying the age of distilled spirits, typically required when a label makes an age statement... Certificate of Exemption A Certificate of Exemption from Label Approval is a TTB authorization that allows certain alcoholic beverages to bypass the standard COLA pr... Distinctive Liquor Bottle A distinctive liquor bottle approval is a separate TTB authorization required for any distilled spirits container with an unusual shape, des... Formula Approval A formula approval is a TTB authorization required for any alcoholic beverage that does not conform to a standard of identity, contains addi... Label Approval Process The label approval process is the complete regulatory workflow from initial label design through COLA application submission, TTB review, po... Pre-COLA Evaluation A pre-COLA evaluation is an optional TTB service that allows applicants to submit label questions, proposed label elements, or compliance is...

Approval Date The approval date is the official date recorded by the TTB when a Certificate of Label Approval is granted, establishing the timestamp used ... NEW_BRAND Signal A NEW_BRAND signal is assigned when a COLA filing comes from a known company but contains a brand name not previously associated with that c... NEW_COMPANY Signal A NEW_COMPANY signal is the highest-priority classification in BevAlc Intelligence, assigned when a COLA filing comes from a company name th... NEW_SKU Signal A NEW_SKU signal is assigned when a COLA filing comes from a known company with an existing brand but introduces a new product variant, such... REFILE Signal A REFILE signal is assigned when a COLA filing matches an existing company, brand, and product combination in the BevAlc Intelligence databa... Signal Classification Signal classification is BevAlc Intelligence's proprietary system that categorizes every TTB COLA filing into one of four types — NEW_COMPAN...

Company Enhancement (Intelligence) Company enhancement is a BevAlc Intelligence Pro feature that uses AI to generate comprehensive company profiles combining TTB filing data w... Company Normalization Company normalization is the data processing technique used by BevAlc Intelligence to resolve the many variations of company names that appe... Pro Subscription The BevAlc Intelligence Pro subscription is the paid tier at $99 per month that provides real-time data access, signal filtering, watchlist ... Watchlist A watchlist is a BevAlc Intelligence Pro feature that allows subscribers to monitor specific companies, brands, or categories and receive au...

Alternating Proprietorship An alternating proprietorship is a TTB arrangement where two or more permit holders share a single premises by alternating use of the physic... Bonded Warehouse A bonded warehouse is a TTB-authorized storage facility where distilled spirits, wine, or tobacco products can be stored without payment of ... Bonded Winery A bonded winery is a TTB-authorized premises where wine is produced, blended, cellared, or bottled under bond, and the bonded winery permit ... Brewers Notice A brewers notice is the TTB registration required for any business engaged in the production of beer or other malt beverages in the United S... Contract Production (Co-Packing) Contract production, also known as co-packing, is an arrangement where one permitted facility produces alcoholic beverages on behalf of anot... DSP (Distilled Spirits Plant) A DSP (Distilled Spirits Plant) is a TTB-authorized premises where distilled spirits are produced, stored, bottled, or processed, and the as... Excise Tax Federal excise tax is the per-unit tax levied by the U.S. government on the production or importation of alcoholic beverages, collected by t... Federal Alcohol Administration Act (FAA Act) The Federal Alcohol Administration Act is the primary federal law governing the labeling, advertising, and trade practices of the alcoholic ... Federal Basic Permit A federal basic permit is the TTB authorization required for any business to engage in the production, importation, or wholesale distributio... Interstate Commerce Interstate commerce, in the context of alcohol regulation, refers to the sale, shipment, or distribution of alcoholic beverages across state... Permit Number A permit number is the unique identifier assigned by the TTB to each federal basic permit, encoding the permit type and serving as the refer... Proof Gallon A proof gallon is the standard unit of measure used by the TTB for excise tax purposes, defined as one liquid gallon of spirits at 50% alcoh...

ABV (Alcohol by Volume) ABV (Alcohol by Volume) is the standard measurement expressing the percentage of pure ethanol in an alcoholic beverage, used worldwide and r... Appellation of Origin An appellation of origin is a geographic designation on a wine label that identifies where the grapes were grown, subject to TTB regulations... Barrel Aging (Maturation) Barrel aging is the process of storing spirits or wine in wooden barrels over months or years, during which the liquid extracts color, flavo... Bottling Bottling is the final production step where a finished alcoholic beverage is filled into consumer containers, labeled, sealed, and prepared ... Class/Type Code A class/type code is the standardized TTB classification assigned to every alcoholic beverage on its COLA, identifying the product's categor... Distillation Distillation is the thermal separation process used to produce spirits by heating a fermented liquid to vaporize alcohol, then condensing th... Fanciful Name A fanciful name is an optional, imaginative product name used on an alcoholic beverage label in addition to the brand name, serving as a spe... Fermentation Fermentation is the biochemical process in which yeast converts sugars into ethanol and carbon dioxide, serving as the foundation of all alc... Mash Bill A mash bill is the specific grain recipe used to produce a whiskey or other grain-based spirit, expressed as percentages of each grain type,... Net Contents Net contents is the mandatory label statement indicating the volume of product in the container, expressed in metric units and subject to TT... Organic Certification Organic certification for alcoholic beverages requires compliance with both USDA organic standards and TTB labeling regulations, involving d... Proof (Alcohol Proof) Alcohol proof is the measurement system used in the United States to express the alcohol content of distilled spirits, where proof equals ex... Standard of Identity A standard of identity is a TTB regulatory definition that specifies the production methods, ingredients, and characteristics required for a... Vintage Date A vintage date on a wine label indicates the year in which the grapes were harvested, subject to TTB regulations requiring that a minimum pe...

Certificate of Origin A certificate of origin is an official document from the country of production certifying the authenticity and provenance of an imported alc... Control State A control state is a U.S. state where the government directly operates some or all of the wholesale distribution and/or retail sale of alcoh... Country of Origin The country of origin is the mandatory label declaration identifying the nation where an imported alcoholic beverage was produced, required ... Depletions Depletions are the industry standard measure of wholesale-to-retail sales volume, representing the quantity of product that has moved from d... Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) Shipping Direct-to-consumer shipping is the practice of producers shipping alcoholic beverages directly to individual consumers, bypassing the distri... Distributor (Wholesale Distributor) A distributor is a licensed wholesale business that occupies the middle tier of the three-tier system, purchasing alcoholic beverages from p... Franchise Law (Beer/Wine/Spirits) Alcohol franchise laws are state statutes that protect distributors from termination or replacement by suppliers, often requiring "good caus... Importation Importation of alcoholic beverages into the United States requires a federal importer's basic permit from the TTB, customs clearance through... Off-Premise Off-premise refers to licensed retail locations where alcoholic beverages are sold for consumption elsewhere, including liquor stores, groce... On-Premise On-premise refers to licensed establishments where alcoholic beverages are consumed on the property where they are purchased, including bars... Open State (License State) An open state, also called a license state, is a U.S. state where the government licenses private businesses to handle wholesale distributio... Self-Distribution Self-distribution is a regulatory exception in some states that allows producers (typically breweries, wineries, or small distilleries) to d... Three-Tier System The three-tier system is the regulatory framework established after Prohibition that separates the American alcohol industry into three dist... Wholesaler A wholesaler is a federally and state-licensed business authorized to purchase alcoholic beverages from producers or importers and resell th...

ABC Board (Alcohol Beverage Control) An ABC board (Alcohol Beverage Control board) is a state government agency responsible for regulating the manufacture, distribution, and sal... Brand Registration (State) Brand registration is a state-level requirement in many U.S. states that mandates alcohol suppliers or their distributors register each bran... CSV Export CSV export is a BevAlc Intelligence Pro feature that allows subscribers to download search results and filtered data as comma-separated valu... Category (Product Category) A category in BevAlc Intelligence is a simplified product classification that groups COLA filings into major beverage types — Whiskey, Vodka... Company Alias A company alias is an alternative name variant for a company stored in BevAlc Intelligence's matching system, enabling the platform to recog... Compliance Audit A compliance audit is a systematic review of an alcohol business's operations, records, labels, and practices to verify adherence to federal... Consignment Sale A consignment sale is a prohibited transaction in the alcohol industry where a product is delivered to a retailer with the understanding tha... Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act (CBMA) The Craft Beverage Modernization and Tax Reform Act is federal legislation that reduced excise tax rates for small alcohol producers, simpli... Data Delay (Free Tier) Data delay is the 2-month lag applied to BevAlc Intelligence free tier users, meaning free users can only see COLA filings that are at least... Display Name A display name is the cleaned-up, properly formatted version of a company's name used in BevAlc Intelligence's user interface, derived from ... Exclusive Dealing Exclusive dealing is a prohibited trade practice where a producer or distributor requires or induces a retailer to purchase only their produ... Slug (URL Slug) A slug is a URL-friendly identifier derived from a company or brand name, used in BevAlc Intelligence web addresses to create clean, readabl... State License (ABC License) A state alcohol license is the authorization issued by a state's alcohol regulatory agency permitting a business to manufacture, distribute,... Tied House A tied house is a retail establishment controlled by or financially linked to a producer or distributor, prohibited under federal trade prac... Trade Practice Violations Trade practice violations are breaches of federal and state regulations governing commercial relationships between alcohol industry tiers, i... Voluntary Surrender A voluntary surrender is the process by which a permit holder returns their federal basic permit to the TTB, formally ceasing authorized alc...