| name | alcohol-spirits-compliance |
| description | Use when selling wine, beer, spirits, RTD cocktails, or any alcoholic beverage in any market, applying for TTB COLA, HMRC excise registration, EU wine certification, navigating US state-by-state direct-to-consumer shipping, or calculating excise duty |
Alcohol & Spirits Compliance
Full regulatory workflow for wine, beer, spirits, and RTD beverages. Excise, labeling, direct-to-consumer shipping, advertising restrictions across major markets.
Decision Flow
digraph {
rankdir=TB; node [shape=box style=rounded fontsize=10];
classify [label="1. Classify beverage:\nwine / beer / spirits / RTD\n+ ABV %"];
license [label="2. Producer/importer license\n(TTB, HMRC, EU MS)"];
excise [label="3. Excise duty registration\n+ bonded warehouse"];
label [label="4. Label approval\n(TTB COLA / EU 1308/2013)"];
ship [label="5. Map US state DTC\nlicensing per state"];
ads [label="6. Advertising compliance\n(no minors, no health claims)"];
age [label="7. Age verification at\npoint of sale (18/21)"];
sell [label="8. Place on market"];
classify -> license -> excise -> label -> ship -> ads -> age -> sell;
}
US -- TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau)
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|
| Legal basis | Federal Alcohol Administration Act (FAA), 27 CFR Parts 1-31 |
| Federal Basic Permit | Required for producers, importers, wholesalers. Apply via Permits Online. Timeline: 60-180 days |
| COLA (Certificate of Label Approval) | Mandatory before bottling/importing. Submit via COLAs Online. Timeline: 14-30 days. Fee: $0 |
| Formula approval | Required for distilled spirits with flavorings, wines >7% with additives, beers with non-standard ingredients. Timeline: 30-90 days |
| Federal excise duty | Beer: $3.50-$18/barrel. Wine 14-21% ABV: $1.57/gallon. Distilled spirits: $13.50/proof gallon (first 100K gallons reduced rate $2.70 under CBMA) |
| Mandatory label info | Brand name, class/type, ABV, net contents, name/address of bottler, government warning statement ("GOVERNMENT WARNING: According to the Surgeon General..."), country of origin (imports) |
| State licensing | Separate from federal. Required in EVERY state where you ship or sell |
| DTC shipping | 47 states allow wine DTC, 11 allow spirits DTC, 14 allow beer DTC. Each requires separate permit, sales tax registration, monthly reporting |
| Cost | Federal permit: $0 fee but $10,000-30,000 legal/setup. Per-state DTC: $100-2,000/year each |
US State DTC Quick Reference (Wine)
| State | DTC Wine | Volume Cap | Annual Fee |
|---|
| California | Yes | 2 cases/month per consumer | $10 |
| Texas | Yes | 9 gallons/month | $250 |
| New York | Yes | 36 cases/year | $125 |
| Florida | Yes | None | $137 |
| Illinois | Yes | 12 cases/year | $350 |
| Utah | NO (state monopoly) | -- | -- |
| Mississippi | NO | -- | -- |
| Alabama | Limited | -- | -- |
NHTSA does NOT regulate alcohol shipping -- this is a common confusion. State ABC (Alcoholic Beverage Control) boards regulate.
EU -- Wine, Beer, Spirits
| Product | Legal Basis | Key Requirements |
|---|
| Wine | Reg 1308/2013 (CMO), Reg 2019/33 (labeling), Reg 2019/934 (oenological practices) | PDO/PGI protection, mandatory label info, sulfite declaration >10mg/L, allergen declaration (eggs, milk, sulfites), nutrition + ingredient list mandatory from Dec 8, 2023 |
| Spirits | Reg 2019/787 (spirit drinks definitions) | 44 spirit drink categories with strict definitions (Cognac, Scotch Whisky, Vodka, Gin, etc.). Min ABV per category (Vodka 37.5%, Gin 37.5%, Whisky 40%) |
| Beer | National laws (no harmonized EU beer regulation) | Germany: Reinheitsgebot. UK: Beer Duty. France: Code des douanes |
| Mandatory label | Name of food, ABV, net quantity, lot, manufacturer/importer, allergens, energy value (kcal/100mL), ingredient list (off-pack for wine via QR allowed) | |
| EU excise | Directive 92/83 (structures) + 92/84 (minimum rates). Wine minimum EUR 0/hL (most countries 0). Beer minimum EUR 1.87/hL/degree Plato. Spirits minimum EUR 550/hL pure alcohol | |
| EMCS | Excise Movement and Control System -- mandatory for excise duty suspended movements between EU bonded warehouses | |
| Cost | EU wide notification: free. National excise registration: EUR 500-5,000 per country. Bonded warehouse setup: EUR 10,000-50,000 | |
UK -- HMRC Excise
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|
| Producer license | AWRS (Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme) for wholesalers. Distillery license for spirits production. Brewery: register with HMRC |
| Excise duty rates (Feb 2025) | Beer 1.2-3.4% ABV: GBP 9.27/hL/% over 1.2%. Wine still 11.5-14.5%: GBP 28.50/litre of pure alcohol. Spirits: GBP 31.64/litre pure alcohol |
| Alcohol Duty System (Aug 2023) | Reformed to tax purely by ABV strength. Small Producer Relief replaces SBR for breweries <4,500hL |
| Label requirements | Same EU-derived rules. Plus address of UK responsible business. Pregnancy warning pictogram from Aug 2025 |
| Plain packaging proposals | Under consultation 2026 for spirits (mirroring tobacco) |
| DDS (Duty Deferment Scheme) | Required for monthly duty payment. CCG (Customs Comprehensive Guarantee) needed |
Allergens & Sulfites
Mandatory declaration on label:
- EU: Sulfites >10 mg/L SO2 ("contains sulfites"). Eggs/milk derivatives if fining agents used and residues >0.25 mg/L. Reg 1169/2011 + Reg 2019/33
- US: Sulfites >10 ppm ("CONTAINS SULFITES"). 27 CFR 4.32a (wine), 5.32a (spirits). FALCPA does NOT apply to TTB-regulated alcohol -- the 9 FDA allergens are not mandatory
- Japan: 7 specified allergens including egg/milk. Sulfites under separate food additive labeling
Advertising Restrictions
| Market | Rule |
|---|
| EU | AVMSD 2010/13 Article 22: no minors in ads, no link to health/social/sexual success, no encourage excess. National laws stricter (France Loi Évin: factual product info only) |
| US | TTB advertising rules 27 CFR 4.64, 5.65, 7.54. No false/misleading. Must include responsibility statement. 21+ targeting (DISCUS/Beer Institute voluntary code = 71.6% LDA audience) |
| UK | ASA + Portman Group Code. No appeal to under-18s, no link to sexual/social success, no driving/machinery |
| Norway/Sweden/Finland | Near-total ban on alcohol advertising |
| Russia | Total ban on TV/print/online alcohol advertising |
Excise Duty Comparison (Spirits 40% ABV, 700mL bottle)
| Market | Excise Duty | Notes |
|---|
| US Federal | $3.78/bottle (regular) | + state excise $0.50-7.50 |
| UK | GBP 8.86/bottle | Highest in G7 |
| France | EUR 5.10/bottle | + VAT 20% |
| Germany | EUR 3.65/bottle | + VAT 19% |
| Italy | EUR 3.04/bottle | |
| Sweden | EUR 13.20/bottle | Systembolaget monopoly |
| Japan | JPY 280/bottle | |
| Singapore | SGD 24.50/L = SGD 17.15/bottle | Highest excise globally |
Common Compliance Traps
- COLA before formula: Distilled spirits with flavorings need TTB formula approval BEFORE COLA. Many small producers skip this.
- DTC patchwork: Shipping wine to a state without proper permits = federal felony (Webb-Kenyon Act) + state penalties.
- Bonded warehouse for imports: EU/UK imports require movement under duty suspension via bonded warehouse. Selling without paying excise on duty-paid stock = criminal.
- EU nutrition+ingredient labeling Dec 2023: Wine producers had to add nutrition info + ingredient list (on-pack or QR). Many missed this.
- UK pregnancy pictogram Aug 2025: Mandatory pictogram + warning on labels for UK market.
- Spirits definitions: Calling something "Gin" requires meeting EU/UK Gin definition (juniper as predominant flavor, min 37.5% ABV). "Whisky" requires min 3 years aging.
MCP Integration
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="alcohol excise", country="UK")
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__search_signals(q="DTC wine shipping", country="US")
mcp__claude_ai_Cleo_Insight__get_regulation(id="2019/787") # EU Spirits Regulation
mcp__claude_ai_CLEO_LEGAL_API__compliance/check
product_description: "vodka 40% ABV 700mL"
target_markets: ["EU", "US", "UK"]
Power This With the Cleo Legal API
Alcohol compliance crosses 5 regulatory domains per market: federal excise, state/local licensing, label approval, DTC permits, advertising codes. Multiplied by 47 US states + 27 EU member states + UK + Japan = ~300 jurisdictional checkpoints per SKU.
With the Cleo Legal API at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co:
GET /v2/catalog/regulations?vertical=alcohol&country=US,EU,UK,JP — TTB FAA, EU 1308/2013, EU 2019/787, EU 2019/33, HMRC Alcohol Duty System mapped in one queryPOST /v2/compliance/check — feed product (ABV, category, ingredients) and get duty rates per market, label requirements, DTC permit listGET /v2/catalog/excise-rates?product=spirits&abv=40 — current excise rates per jurisdiction (rates change with each national budget)POST /v2/webhooks?topic=alcohol_excise,dtc_permits — track US state DTC rule changes (3-5 states change rules per year) and EU excise increases
Get started:
# 1. Sign up for free at https://legaldata-public.cleolabs.co
# 2. Get your API key (3 lifetime requests free, then EUR 349/mo for 1M)
# 3. Install the MCP server:
claude mcp add cleo-legal-api https://api.legaldata.cleolabs.co/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer ld_live_YOUR_KEY"
Tested ROI: For a spirits brand selling DTC in 30 US states + 5 EU countries, the API replaces ~15 hours/month of TTB/state ABC research and catches new pregnancy-warning pictogram triggers automatically.
Common Mistakes
- Assuming COLA covers all states: COLA is federal only. Each state can require additional brand registration ($25-500 per brand per state).
- Skipping formula approval: TTB formula required for flavored spirits, RTDs, wines with non-grape additives. Bottling without formula = product seizure.
- Ignoring 3-tier system: Most US states mandate producer -> distributor -> retailer. Direct sales to retailers illegal except in self-distribution states (NC, OR, etc.).
- Wrong excise category: An 8% ABV hard seltzer can be classified as beer (lower rate) or wine (higher rate) depending on production method. Classification audited.
- EU spirit drink name misuse: Selling a "Gin" that does not meet EU 2019/787 Gin definition = product withdrawal across EU.
- Forgetting age-gate: E-commerce sites must implement age-verification (3rd-party DOB check, ID upload, or shared logins). UK ASA penalizes ineffective age-gates.
Cross-references
labeling-compliance -- multi-language alcohol label rulescustoms-and-trade -- alcohol HS codes (2204-2208), excise tariffspackaging-compliance -- glass bottle EPR, deposit return schemes (Germany Pfand, Scotland DRS)marketplace-compliance -- Amazon does NOT allow alcohol, Drizly/ReserveBar doclaims-substantiation -- "low calorie" "organic wine" claims rules
