Beverage Importers Criticize TTB Final Rule on Singani Labels
A recent final rule creating a new labeling standard for the Bolivian liquor Singani conflicts with Bolivia’s own standard for the brandy and creates an artificial cut-off that excludes much Singani from being able to be labeled as such under the standard, the National Association of Beverage Importers said in a Jan. 12 news release.
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The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau’s final rule (see 2301120030), published in the Jan. 13 Federal Register, only allows labeling as Singani for products with a minimum of 40% alcohol by volume. But Bolivia allows Singani to range between 35% and 45% alcohol by volume, the beverage importers said. The TTB’s underlying proposed rule recognized this by setting the same range. The TTB’s change in the final rule “effectively excludes one half of the Singani from importation without being labeled as ‘Diluted Singani,’” the trade group said.
The change also imposes a regulatory burden on importers to manage their inventories to make sure Singanis with an alcohol by volume less than 40% don’t mistakenly enter the U.S., the beverage importers said. And it sets a dangerous precedent. Under the deal that led to the Singani standard, Bolivia will grant a similar status to Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey. “Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey distillers would be unhappy if Bolivia imposed a domestic standard for whisky that conflicted with the U.S. standard of identity,” the trade group said.
"TTB ‘kicks the can down the road’ here by stating that ‘(a)ccordingly, TTB will consider whether to address exceptions to minimum bottling proofs for Singani and other distinctive products in a possible future rulemaking,’” the beverage importers said. “TTB lists around 80 rulemaking projects in the recent edition of the Unified Regulatory Agenda so the queue is quite a long wait.”