TTB Newsletter for September 13, 2024

We are reopening the comment period for a proposed rule, Notice No. 210, which proposed changes to the authorized standards of fill for wine and distilled spirits, to solicit comments on additional suggestions raised in comments we received that go beyond the scope of the original proposal. In Notice No. 210, we proposed to add 10 authorized standards of fill to those already authorized for wine and, alternatively, to eliminate all but a minimum standard of fill for wine containers. The notice also proposed to eliminate all but a minimum and maximum for distilled spirits containers. We did not propose any specific standards of fill for distilled spirits as an alternative to generally eliminating them, but we received a number of comments requesting the approval of additional standards of fill. We also received suggestions to eliminate the distinction in current regulations between the standards of fill for distilled spirits in cans and those for containers other than cans. Further, we received comments requesting the approval of certain standards of fill for wine in addition to those we proposed.

These additional requests are discussed in Notice No. 210A, a supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking published in the Federal Register on September 9, 2024. We are soliciting comments to assist us in assessing whether to incorporate in the final rule some, all, or none of the proposals discussed in Notice No. 210 and Notice No. 210A. Comments previously submitted on Notice No. 210 do not need to be resubmitted to be considered.

See Notice No. 210A for complete instructions on how and where to submit new comments. To view all documents and comments related to this rulemaking concerning the standards of fill for wine and distilled spirits see Docket No. TTB-2022-0004 at Regulations.gov. To comment electronically, use the Regulations.gov comment form for Notice No. 210A. Electronic comments submitted via Regulations.gov are due by 11:59 p.m. on October 9, 2024, and comments submitted by postal mail must be postmarked by that date.