Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-12-27
HIS FINAL DECISION
President Taft'S Directions
for Branding of Liquor.
AN ERROR OF SCIENTISTS
What Name of Whisky Has Includ.
ed Past Hundred Years.
CHEMISTS HAVE BEEN WRONG
Too Much Distinction Made in De-
ductions-High Wines and
Neutral Spirits.
AN ERROR OF SCIENTISTS
CHEMISTS HAVE BEEN WRONG

President Taft has rendered his final
decision defining whisky and this de-
c.sion will hereafter guide the internal
revenue and pure food authorities. Under
the decision much labelling Of whisky
will be necessary, so that every man, if
he wants to, will know what he is drink
Ing.
The President covered other details In
his decision, and gave directions for the
proper branding of various varieties of
liquor, holding, among other things, that
Canad IAN Club whisky and whisky made
from a mixture Of straight whisky and
neutral spirits" may be called a blend"
Straight Whisky Brand.
According to the instructions under this
decision straight whiskies'' will here
after be branded as such, but the brand
may he accompa MED by the legend aged
in WOOD and whisky made from recti-
fed, distilled or neutral spirits will be
branded so as to make known the prin-
cipal ingredients. In addition, If they
SO desire, manufacturers Of straight
whisky may also use the word "Boui-
bon" or Rye as the facts may war
rant.
The definition of blend is not made
broad enough to include neutral sp rits
made from molasses ana reduced to
potable strength. This article, the Presi-
dent says, cannot be labeled as whisky;
1t is rum.
other chemists to task for fundamental
error as to what the name whisky
has included during the past 100 years,
and he also expresses the op.nion that
Mr. Bowers makes too much q dtstInc-
ton" in his deductions.
If he says, speaking Of the opinion
Of Mr.. Bowers, high wines at from 40
degrees to 100 degrees when reduced to
potable strength, and containing a very
small quaint ty of fusel oil and Favored
by burnt sugar. are whisky. as he ha,
found, then the mere Improvement la
the process by continuous disu.latiOn so
as to give a product from 100 degrees
to 1888 degrees proof, and still further to
whole nature or to make what was genu-
inc whisky imitation whisky be-
cause of a slightly reduced trace of one
ingredient
An Impracticable Distinction.
1.-THE distinction is too impracticable.
in my judgment, for the execution of the
law
The President thinks that an order as
his decision contemplates cannot do tnjus-
tice.
Those" he says, "who make whisky
of rectified. redistilled or neut. al spir is
cannot complain if. in order to prevent
fu. Their frauds, they are required to use q
brand which shall show exactly the kind
son it seems to me fair to require them
to brand their product as whisky made
from rectif1ed spir Is or whisky made
from redistilled spirits or whisky made
,t,-ot .rff ha 4
and If aged in the wood. as sometimes is
the case with this class OF WHISTLES, they
may add this fact"
Speaking further In the same line he
says:
1.-THE public will be made to know ex-
actly the kind of whisky they buy and
drink. If they desire straight whisky
men they can secure 1t by purchasing
what is b anded Straight whisky II
they are willing to drink whisky made Of
neutral spir Is, then they can buy it un-
der brand showing it. and If they are
content with blend Of favors made by
the mixture of straight whisky and whis-
ky made Of neutral spirits. the brand Of
the blend upon the package will enable
them to drink that which they desire.
Intent Of the Act.
'"rhis was the intent of the act. 1t in
jures no mans lawful business, because
t only insists upon the statement Of the
truth in the label. II those who manu-
facture whisky made of neutral spirits
and wish to call it whisky without ex-
planatory phrase complain because the
addition of neutral spirits in the label
takes away some OF their trade, they are
without a just g ound. because they lose
their trade merely from a statement of
the fact. The straight-wh' sky men are
relieved from all future attempt to pass
off neutral-spirits whisky as straight
whisky. More than this. If st aight whis-
ky or any other kind Of whisky Is aged
in the wood. the fact may be branded on
the package, and this claim to public ia
for may truthfully he put forth. Thus
the purpose of the pure food law is fully
accompl shed in respect Of misbranding
and truthful branding"
The decision follows the lines of the
conclusions reached by the royal COM
mission OF Great Britain and reverses the
verdict of former President Roosevelt.
Solicitor General Bowers and DIR. Wi ey
of the bureau Of chemistry. The Roose-
Welt Bonaparte-W Wiley order denied the
use of the word whisky in branding to
all liquor except straight whisky the
whisky which is aged in charred oak
casks. MIR. Bowers extended the use of
the word to liquors made of "rectified
and ''distiller'' spirits. President ia t
goes a step further and includes blends
and whisky made from neutral spirits
dent says:
Includes All Potable Whisky.
After an examination of all the evil
dence 1t seems to me overwhelmingly
established that for hundred years the
term whisky In the trade and among
the customers has included all po.ab.e
liquor distilled from grain: that the
straight whisky is. as compared with the
whisky made by rectihcation or red still
alton and fiavoring and colcring matter,
a subsequent Improvement. and that
therefore it is a perversion Of he pure
food act to attempt now to limit the
meaning of the term whisky to that
which modern manufacture and taste
have made the most desirable variety"