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►B REGULATION (EU) 2019/787 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL  
of 17 April 2019  
on the definition, description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks, the use of the names of 
spirit drinks in the presentation and labelling of other foodstuffs, the protection of geographical 
indications for spirit drinks, the use of ethyl alcohol and distillates of agricultural origin in 
alcoholic beverages, and repealing Regulation (EC) No 110/2008  
(OJ L 130, 17.5.2019, p. 1)  
Amended by:  
Official Journal  
No page  date  
►M1 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1096 of 21 April 202 1 L 238  1  6.7.2021  
►M2 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1334 of 27 May 2021  L 289  1  12.8.2021  
►M3 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1335 of 27 May 2021  L 289  4  12.8.2021  
►M4 Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/1465 of 6 July 2021  L 321  1 2  13.9.2021  
Corrected by:  
►C1 Corrigendum, OJ L 316I, 6.12.2019, p. 3 (2019/787)  
►C2 Corrigendum, OJ L 178, 20.5.2021, p. 4 (2019/787)  02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 1
02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 2  
REGULATION (EU) 2019/787 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 
AND OF THE COUNCIL  
of 17 April 2019  
on the definition, description, presentation and labelling of spirit 
drinks, the use of the names of spirit drinks in the presentation 
and labelling of other foodstuffs, the protection of geographical 
indications for spirit drinks, the use of ethyl alcohol and 
distillates of agricultural origin in alcoholic beverages, and 
repealing Regulation (EC) No 110/2008  
CHAPTER I  
SCOPE, DEFINITIONS AND CATEGORIES OF SPIRIT DRINKS  
Article 1  
Subject matter and scope  
1. This Regulation lays down rules on:  
— the definition, description, presentation and labelling of sp irit drinks, 
as well as on the protection of geographical indications of spi rit 
drinks;  
— the ethyl alcohol and distillates used in the production of a lcoholic 
beverages; and  
— the use of legal names of spirit drinks in the presentation a nd 
labelling of foodstuffs other than spirit drinks.  
2. This Regulation applies to products referred to in paragraph  1 that 
are placed on the Union market, whether produced in the Union o r in 
third countries, as well as to those produced in the Union for export.  
3. As regards the protection of geographical indications, Chapt er III 
of this Regulation also applies to goods entering the customs t erritory of 
the Union without being released for free circulation there.  
Article 2  
Definition of and requirements for spirit drinks  
For the purposes of this Regulation, a spirit drink is an alcoh olic 
beverage which complies with the following requirements:  
(a) it is intended for human consumption;  
(b) it possesses particular organoleptic qualities;  
(c) it has a minimum alcoholic strength by volume of 15 %, exce pt in 
the case of spirit drinks that comply with the requirements of 
category 39 of Annex I;  
(d) it has been produced either:  
(i) directly by using, individually or in combination, any of t he 
following methods:  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 3  
— distillation, with or without added flavourings or flavouring  
foodstuffs, of fermented products,  
— the maceration or similar processing of plant materials in 
ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, distillates of agricultur al 
origin or spirit drinks or a combination thereof,  
— the addition, individually or in combination, to ethyl alcoho l 
of agricultural origin, distillates of agricultural origin or 
spirit drinks of any of the following:  
— flavourings used in accordance with Regulation (EC) 
No 1334/2008,  
— colours used in accordance with Regulation (EC) 
No 1333/2008,  
— other authorised ingredients used in accordance with 
Regulations (EC) No 1333/2008 and (EC) No 1334/2008,  
— sweetening products,  
— other agricultural products,  
— foodstuffs; or  
(ii) by adding, individually or in combination, to it any of th e 
following:  
— other spirit drinks,  
— ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin,  
— distillates of agricultural origin,  
— other foodstuffs;  
(e) it does not fall within CN codes 2203, 2204, 2205, 2206 and  2207;  
(f) if water, which may be distilled, demineralised, permuted o r 
softened, has been added in its production:  
(i) the quality of that water complies with Council Directive 
98/83/EC (  1 ) and Directive 2009/54/EC of the European 
Parliament and of the Council (  2 ); and  
(ii) the alcoholic strength of the spirit drink, after the addi tion of 
the water, still complies with the minimum alcoholic strength 
by volume provided for in point (c) of this Article or under th e 
relevant category of spirit drinks as set out in Annex I.  ▼B 
( 1 ) Council Directive 98/83/EC of 3 November 1998 on the quality of water 
intended for human consumption (OJ L 330, 5.12.1998, p. 32). 
( 2 ) Directive 2009/54/EC of the European Parliament and of the Co uncil of 
18 June 2009 on the exploitation and marketing of natural miner al waters 
(OJ L 164, 26.6.2009, p. 45).
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 4  
Article 3  
Definitions  
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:  
(1) ‘legal name’ means the name under which a spirit drink is p laced 
on the market, within the meaning of point (n) of Article 2(2) of 
Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011;  
(2) ‘compound term’ means, in relation to the description, pres entation 
and labelling of an alcoholic beverage, the combination of eith er a 
legal name provided for in the categories of spirit drinks set out in 
Annex I or the geographical indication for a spirit drink, from  
which all the alcohol of the final product originates, with one  or 
more of the following:  
(a) the name of one or more foodstuffs other than an alcoholic 
beverage and other than foodstuffs used for the production of 
that spirit drink in accordance with Annex I, or adjectives 
deriving from those names;  
(b) the term ‘liqueur’ or ‘cream’;  
▼M4 
(3) ‘allusion’ means the direct or indirect reference to one or  more 
legal names provided for in the categories of spirit drinks set  out in 
Annex I or to one or more geographical indications for spirit 
drinks, other than a reference in a compound term or in a list of 
ingredients as referred to in Article 13(2) to (4) in the descr iption, 
presentation and labelling of:  
(a) a foodstuff other than a spirit drink,  
(b) a spirit drink that complies with the requirements of categ ories 
33 to 40 of Annex I, or  
(c) a spirit drink that complies with the conditions laid down in 
Article 12(3a);  
▼B 
(4) ‘geographical indication’ means an indication which identif ies a 
spirit drink as originating in the territory of a country, or a  
region or locality in that territory, where a given quality, re putation 
or other characteristic of that spirit drink is essentially att ributable 
to its geographical origin;  
(5) ‘product specification’ means a file attached to the applic ation for 
the protection of a geographical indication, in which the speci fi­
cations with which the spirit drink has to comply are set out, and 
which was referred to as a ‘technical file’ under Regulation (E C) 
No 110/2008;  
(6) ‘group’ means any association, irrespective of its legal fo rm, that is 
mainly composed of producers or processors working with the 
spirit drinks concerned;  
(7) ‘generic name’ means a name of a spirit drink that has beco me 
generic and that, although it relates to the place or the regio n 
where the spirit drink was originally produced or marketed, has  
become the common name of that spirit drink in the Union;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 5  
(8) ‘visual field’ means field of vision as defined in point (k ) of 
Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011;  
(9) ‘to mix’ means to combine a spirit drink that either belong s to a 
category of spirit drinks set out in Annex I or to a geographic al 
indication with one or more of the following:  
(a) other spirit drinks which do not belong to the same categor y of 
spirit drinks set out in Annex I;  
(b) distillates of agricultural origin;  
(c) ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin;  
(10) ‘mixture’ means a spirit drink that has undergone mixing;  
(11) ‘to blend’ means to combine two or more spirit drinks of t he same 
category that are distinguishable only by minor differences in 
composition due to one or more of the following factors:  
(a) the method of production;  
(b) the stills employed;  
(c) the period of maturation or ageing;  
(d) the geographical area of production;  
the spirit drink so produced belongs to the same category of sp irit 
drinks as the original spirit drinks before blending;  
(12) ‘blend’ means a spirit drink that has undergone blending.  
Article 4  
Technical definitions and requirements  
For the purposes of this Regulation, the following technical de finitions 
and requirements apply:  
(1) ‘description’ means the terms used in the labelling, in the  presen­
tation and on the packaging of a spirit drink, on the documents  
accompanying the transport of a spirit drink, on the commercial  
documents, particularly the invoices and delivery notes, and in  the 
advertising of a spirit drink;  
(2) ‘presentation’ means the terms used in the labelling and on  the 
packaging, as well as in advertising and sales promotion of a 
product, in images or such like, as well as on the container, 
including on the bottle or the closure;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 6  
(3) ‘labelling’ means any word, particulars, trade marks, brand  name, 
pictorial matter or symbol relating to a product and placed on any 
packaging, document, notice, label, ring or collar accompanying  or 
referring to such product;  
(4) ‘label’ means any tag, brand, mark, pictorial or other desc riptive 
matter, written, printed, stencilled, marked, embossed or impre ssed 
on, or attached to the packaging or container of food;  
(5) ‘packaging’ means the protective wrappings, cartons, cases,  
containers and bottles used in the transport or sale of spirit drinks;  
(6) ‘distillation’ means a thermal separation process involving  one or 
more separation steps intended to achieve certain organoleptic 
properties or a higher alcoholic concentration or both, regardl ess 
of whether such steps take place under normal pressure or under  
vacuum, due to the distilling device used; and can be single or  
multiple distillation or re-distillation;  
(7) ‘distillate of agricultural origin’ means an alcoholic liqu id which is 
the result of the distillation, after alcoholic fermentation, o f agri­
cultural products listed in Annex I to the Treaty, which does n ot 
have the properties of ethyl alcohol and which retains the arom a 
and taste of the raw materials used;  
(8) ‘to sweeten’ means to use one or more sweetening products i n the 
production of spirit drinks;  
(9) ‘sweetening products’ means:  
(a) semi-white sugar, white sugar, extra-white sugar, dextrose,  
fructose, glucose syrup, sugar solution, invert sugar solution 
and invert sugar syrup, as defined in Part A of the Annex to 
Council Directive 2001/111/EC (  3 ); 
(b) rectified concentrated grape must, concentrated grape must and 
fresh grape must;  
(c) burned sugar which is the product obtained exclusively from  
the controlled heating of sucrose without bases, mineral acids 
or other chemical additives;  
(d) honey as defined in point 1 of Annex I to Council Directive  
2001/110/EC (  4 ); 
(e) carob syrup;  
(f) any other natural carbohydrate substances having a similar 
effect as the products referred to in points (a) to (e);  ▼B 
( 3 ) Council Directive 2001/111/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to  certain 
sugars intended for human consumption (OJ L 10, 12.1.2002, p. 5 3). 
( 4 ) Council Directive 2001/110/EC of 20 December 2001 relating to  honey 
(OJ L 10, 12.1.2002, p. 47).
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 7  
(10) ‘addition of alcohol’ means the addition of ethyl alcohol of agri­
cultural origin or distillates of agricultural origin or both t o a spirit 
drink; such addition does not include the use of alcohol for 
dilution or dissolution of colours, flavourings or any other au th­
orised ingredients used in the production of spirit drinks;  
(11) ‘maturation’ or ‘ageing’ means the storage of a spirit dri nk in 
appropriate receptacles for a period of time for the purpose of  
allowing that spirit drink to undergo natural reactions that im part 
specific characteristics to that spirit drink;  
(12) ‘to flavour’ means to add flavourings or flavouring foodst uffs in 
the production of a spirit drink by means of one or more of the  
following processes: addition, infusion, maceration, alcoholic 
fermentation, or distillation of alcohol in the presence of the  
flavourings or flavouring foodstuffs;  
(13) ‘flavourings’ mean flavourings as defined in point (a) of 
Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008;  
(14) ‘flavouring substance’ means flavouring substance as defin ed in 
point (b) of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008;  
(15) ‘natural flavouring substance’ means natural flavouring su bstance 
as defined in point (c) of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) 
No 1334/2008;  
(16) ‘flavouring preparation’ means flavouring preparation as d efined in 
point (d) of Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008;  
(17) ‘other flavouring’ means other flavouring as defined in po int (h) of 
Article 3(2) of Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008;  
(18) ‘flavouring foodstuffs’ mean foodstuffs as defined in Arti cle 2 of 
Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of 
the Council (  5 ) and that are used in the production of spirit drinks 
with the main purpose of flavouring the spirit drinks;  
(19) ‘to colour’ means to use one or more colours in the produc tion of 
a spirit drink;  
(20) ‘colours’ mean colours as defined in point 2 of Annex I to  
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008;  
(21) ‘caramel’ means a food additive corresponding to E-numbers  E  
150a, E 150b, E 150c or E 150d and relating to products of a 
more or less intense brown colour which are intended for 
colouring, as referred to in Part B of Annex II to 
Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008; it does not correspond to the 
sugary aromatic product obtained from heating sugars and which 
is used for flavouring purposes;  
(22) ‘other authorised ingredients’ means food ingredients with  
flavouring properties authorised under Regulation (EC) 
No 1334/2008 and food additives other than colours authorised 
under Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008;  ▼B 
( 5 ) Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 of the European Parliament and of  the Council 
of 28 January 2002 laying down the general principles and requi rements of 
food law, establishing the European Food Safety Authority and l aying down 
procedures in matters of food safety (OJ L 31, 1.2.2002, p. 1).
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 8  
(23) ‘alcoholic strength by volume’ means the ratio of the volu me of 
pure alcohol present in a product at 20  o C to the total volume of 
that product at the same temperature;  
(24) ‘volatile substances content’ means the quantity of volati le 
substances, other than ethyl alcohol and methanol, contained in  a  
spirit drink produced exclusively by distillation.  
Article 5  
Definition of and requirements for ethyl alcohol of agricultural 
origin  
For the purposes of this Regulation, ethyl alcohol of agricultu ral origin 
is a liquid which complies with the following requirements:  
(a) it has been obtained exclusively from products listed in An nex I to 
the Treaty;  
(b) it has no detectable taste other than that of the raw mater ials used in 
its production;  
(c) its minimum alcoholic strength by volume is 96,0 %;  
(d) its maximum levels of residues do not exceed the following:  
(i) total acidity (expressed in acetic acid): 1,5 grams per 
hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  
(ii) esters (expressed in ethyl acetate): 1,3 grams per hectoli tre of 
100 % vol. alcohol;  
(iii) aldehydes (expressed in acetaldehyde): 0,5 grams per 
hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  
(iv) higher alcohols (expressed in 2-methyl-1-propanol): 0,5 gr ams 
per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  
(v) methanol: 30 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  
(vi) dry extract: 1,5 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcoho l; 
(vii) volatile bases containing nitrogen (expressed in nitrogen ): 
0,1 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  
(viii) furfural: not detectable.  
Article 6  
Ethyl alcohol and distillates used in alcoholic beverages  
1. The ethyl alcohol and distillates used in the production of spirit 
drinks shall be exclusively of agricultural origin, within the meaning of 
Annex I to the Treaty.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 9  
2. No alcohol other than ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, 
distillates of agricultural origin or spirit drinks of categori es 1 to 14 
of Annex I shall be used to dilute or dissolve colours, flavour ings or 
any other authorised ingredients used in the production of alco holic 
beverages. Such alcohol used to dilute or dissolve colours, fla vourings 
or any other authorised ingredients shall only be used in the a mounts 
strictly necessary for that purpose.  
3. Alcoholic beverages shall not contain alcohol of synthetic o rigin 
or other alcohol of non-agricultural origin, within the meaning  of 
Annex I to the Treaty.  
Article 7  
Categories of spirit drinks  
1. Spirit drinks shall be categorised in accordance with the ge neral 
rules laid down in this Article and the specific rules laid dow n in 
Annex I.  
2. Without prejudice to the specific rules laid down for each o f the 
categories of spirit drinks 1 to 14 of Annex I, the spirit drin ks of those 
categories shall:  
(a) be produced by alcoholic fermentation and distillation, and  
exclusively obtained from the raw material provided for under t he 
corresponding category of spirit drinks in Annex I;  
(b) have no addition of alcohol, whether diluted or not;  
(c) not be flavoured;  
(d) not be coloured with anything except caramel used exclusive ly for 
adjusting the colour of those spirit drinks;  
(e) not be sweetened, except to round off the final taste of th e product; 
the maximum content of sweetening products, expressed as invert  
sugar, shall not exceed the thresholds set out for each categor y in 
Annex I;  
(f) not contain adjuncts other than whole unprocessed items of the raw 
material from which the alcohol is obtained, and which are main ly 
used for decorative purposes.  
3. Without prejudice to the specific rules laid down for each o f the 
categories of spirit drinks 15 to 44 of Annex I, the spirit dri nks of those 
categories may:  
(a) be produced from any agricultural raw material listed in An nex I to 
the Treaty;  
(b) have addition of alcohol;  
(c) contain flavouring substances, natural flavouring substances, flavouring 
preparations and flavouring foodstuffs;  
(d) be coloured;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 10  
(e) be sweetened.  
4. Without prejudice to the specific rules laid down in Annex I I, 
spirit drinks which do not comply with the specific rules laid down 
for each of the categories set out in Annex I may:  
(a) be produced from any agricultural raw material listed in An nex I to 
the Treaty or from any foodstuff or both;  
(b) have addition of alcohol;  
(c) be flavoured;  
(d) be coloured;  
(e) be sweetened.  
Article 8  
Delegated and implementing powers  
1. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 46 amending this Regulation by introduc ing 
amendments to the technical definitions and requirements laid d own 
in point (f) of Article 2, and in Articles 4 and 5.  
The delegated acts referred to in the first subparagraph shall be strictly 
limited to meeting demonstrated needs resulting from evolving 
consumer demands, technological progress or the need for produc t 
innovation.  
The Commission shall adopt a separate delegated act in respect of each 
technical definition or requirement referred to in the first su bparagraph.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 46 supplementing this Regulation by lay ing 
down, in exceptional cases, where the law of the importing thir d 
country so requires, derogations from the requirements set out in 
point (f) of Article 2, and in Articles 4 and 5, the requiremen ts under 
the categories of spirit drinks set out in Annex I and the spec ific rules 
concerning certain spirit drinks set out in Annex II.  
3. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 46 supplementing this Regulation by spe cifying 
which other natural substances or agricultural raw materials ha ving a 
similar effect to the products referred to in points (a) to (e)  of 
Article 4(9) are authorised across the Union as sweetening prod ucts 
in the production of spirit drinks.  
4. The Commission may, by means of implementing acts, adopt 
uniform rules for the use of other natural substances or agricu ltural 
raw materials authorised by delegated acts as sweetening produc ts in 
the production of spirit drinks as referred to in paragraph 3, determining 
in particular the respective sweetening conversion factors. Tho se imple­
menting acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examinatio n 
procedure referred to in Article 47(2).  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 11  
CHAPTER II  
DESCRIPTION, PRESENTATION AND LABELLING OF SPIRIT 
DRINKS AND USE OF THE NAMES OF SPIRIT DRINKS IN THE 
PRESENTATION AND LABELLING OF OTHER FOODSTUFFS  
Article 9  
Presentation and labelling  
Spirit drinks placed on the Union market shall comply with the pres­
entation and labelling requirements set out in Regulation (EU) 
No 1169/2011, unless otherwise provided for in this Regulation.  
Article 10  
Legal names of spirit drinks  
1. The name of a spirit drink shall be its legal name.  
Spirit drinks shall bear legal names in their description, pres entation and 
labelling.  
Legal names shall be shown clearly and visibly on the label of the spirit 
drink and shall not be replaced or altered.  
2. Spirit drinks that comply with the requirements of a categor y of 
spirit drinks set out in Annex I shall use the name of that cat egory as 
their legal name, unless that category permits the use of anoth er legal 
name.  
3. A spirit drink that does not comply with the requirements la id 
down for any of the categories of spirit drinks set out in Anne x I 
shall use the legal name ‘spirit drink’.  
4. A spirit drink that complies with the requirements for more than 
one category of spirit drinks set out in Annex I may be placed on the 
market under one or more of the legal names provided for under those 
categories in Annex I.  
5. Notwithstanding paragraphs 1 and 2 of this Article, the lega l name 
of a spirit drink may be:  
(a) supplemented or replaced by a geographical indication refer red to in 
Chapter III. In this case, the geographical indication may be s upple­
mented further by any term permitted by the relevant product sp ec­
ification, provided that this does not mislead the consumer; an d 
(b) replaced by a compound term that includes the term ‘liqueur ’ or 
‘cream’, provided that the final product complies with the 
requirements of category 33 of Annex I.  
6. Without prejudice to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 and to the  
specific rules laid down for the categories of spirit drinks in  Annex I to 
this Regulation, the legal name of a spirit drink may be supple mented 
by: ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 12  
(a) a name or geographical reference provided for in the laws, regu­
lations and administrative provisions applicable in the Member State 
in which the spirit drink is placed on the market, provided tha t this 
does not mislead the consumer;  
(b) a customary name as defined in point (o) of Article 2(2) of  Regu­
lation (EU) No 1169/2011, provided that this does not mislead t he 
consumer;  
(c) a compound term or an allusion in accordance with Articles 11 
and 12;  
(d) the term ‘blend’, ‘blending’ or ‘blended’, provided that th e spirit 
drink has undergone blending;  
(e) the term ‘mixture’, ‘mixed’ or ‘mixed spirit drink’, provid ed that the 
spirit drink has undergone mixing; or  
(f) the term ‘dry’ or ‘ dry’, except in the case of spirit drinks that 
comply with the requirements of category 2 of Annex I, without 
prejudice to the specific requirements laid down in categories 20 to 
22 of Annex I, and provided that the spirit drink has not been 
sweetened, not even for rounding off the taste. By way of dero­
gation from the first part of this point, the term ‘dry’ or ‘ dry’ may 
supplement the legal name of spirit drinks that comply with the  
requirements of category 33 and have therefore been sweetened.  
▼M1 
7. Without prejudice to Articles 11 and 12 and Article 13(2) to  (4), 
the use of the legal names referred to in paragraph 2 of this A rticle or 
geographical indications in the description, presentation or la belling of 
any beverage not complying with the requirements of the relevan t 
category set out in Annex I or of the relevant geographical ind ication 
shall be prohibited. That prohibition shall also apply where su ch legal 
names or geographical indications are used in conjunction with words or 
phrases such as ‘like’, ‘type’, ‘style’, ‘made’, ‘flavour’ or a ny other 
similar terms.  
▼B 
Without prejudice to Article 12(1), flavourings that imitate a spirit drink 
or their use in the production of a foodstuff other than a beve rage may 
bear, in their presentation and labelling, references to the le gal names 
referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article, provided that such legal names 
are supplemented by the term ‘flavour’ or any other similar 
terms. Geographical indications shall not be used to describe s uch 
flavourings.  
Article 11  
Compound terms  
1. In the description, presentation and labelling of an alcohol ic 
beverage, the use in a compound term of either a legal name 
provided for in the categories of spirit drinks set out in Anne x I or a 
geographical indication for spirit drinks shall be authorised o n condition 
that: 
(a) the alcohol used in the production of the alcoholic beverag e orig­
inates exclusively from the spirit drink referred to in the com pound 
term, except for the alcohol that may be present in flavourings , 
colours or other authorised ingredients used for the production  of 
that alcoholic beverage; and  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 13  
(b) the spirit drink has not been diluted by addition of water only, so 
that its alcoholic strength is below the minimum strength provi ded 
for under the relevant category of spirit drinks set out in Ann ex I.  
2. Without prejudice to the legal names provided for in Article  10, 
the terms ‘alcohol’, ‘spirit’, ‘drink’, ‘spirit drink’ and ‘wat er’ shall not 
be part of a compound term describing an alcoholic beverage.  
▼M3 
3. Compound terms describing an alcoholic beverage shall:  
(a) appear in uniform characters of the same font, size and col our; 
(b) not be interrupted by any textual or pictorial element whic h does 
not form part of them;  
(c) not appear in a font size which is larger than the font siz e used for 
the name of the alcoholic beverage; and  
(d) in cases where the alcoholic beverage is a spirit drink, al ways be 
accompanied by the legal name of the spirit drink, which shall 
appear in the same visual field as the compound term, unless th e 
legal name is replaced by a compound term in accordance with 
Article 10(5), point (b).  
▼B 
Article 12  
Allusions  
1. In the presentation and labelling of a foodstuff other than an 
alcoholic beverage, an allusion to legal names provided for in one or 
more categories of spirit drinks set out in Annex I, or to one or more 
geographical indications for spirit drinks, shall be authorised  on 
condition that the alcohol used in the production of the foodst uff orig­
inates exclusively from the spirit drink or the spirit drinks r eferred to in 
the allusion, except as regards the alcohol that may be present  in 
flavourings, colours or other authorised ingredients used for t he 
production of that foodstuff.  
2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1 of this Article and with out 
prejudice to Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 (  6 ) and (EU) No 251/2014 (  7 ) 
of the European Parliament and of the Council, an allusion in t he pres­
entation and labelling of an alcoholic beverage other than a sp irit drink to 
legal names provided for in one or more categories of spirit dr inks set out 
in Annex I to this Regulation or to one or more geographical in dications 
for spirit drinks shall be authorised on condition that:  
(a) the added alcohol originates exclusively from the spirit dr ink or 
spirit drinks referred to in the allusion; and  ▼B 
( 6 ) Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and o f the 
Council of 17 December 2013 establishing a common organisation of the 
markets in agricultural products and repealing Council Regulati ons (EEC) 
No 922/72, (EEC) No 234/79, (EC) No 1037/2001 and (EC) 
No 1234/2007 (OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 671). 
( 7 ) Regulation (EU) No 251/2014 of the European Parliament and of  the Council 
of 26 February 2014 on the definition, description, presentatio n, labelling and 
the protection of geographical indications of aromatised wine p roducts and 
repealing Council Regulation (EEC) No 1601/91 (OJ L 84, 20.3.20 14, p. 14).
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 14  
(b) the proportion of each alcoholic ingredient is indicated at  least once 
in the same visual field as the allusion, in descending order o f 
quantities used. That proportion shall be equal to the percenta ge 
by volume of pure alcohol it represents in the total pure alcoh ol 
content by volume of the final product.  
3. By way of derogation from paragraph 1 of this Article and fr om 
Article 13(4), in the description, presentation and labelling o f a spirit 
drink that complies with the requirements of categories 33 to 4 0 of 
Annex I, the allusion to legal names provided for under one or more 
categories of spirit drinks set out in that Annex or to one or more 
geographical indications for spirit drinks shall be authorised on 
condition that:  
(a) the added alcohol originates exclusively from the spirit dr ink or 
spirit drinks referred to in the allusion;  
(b) the proportion of each alcoholic ingredient is indicated at  least once 
in the same visual field as the allusion, in descending order o f 
quantities used. That proportion shall be equal to the percenta ge 
by volume of pure alcohol it represents in the total pure alcoh ol 
content by volume of the final product; and  
(c) the term ‘ cream ’ does not appear in the legal name of a spirit drink 
that complies with the requirements of categories 33 to 40 of 
Annex I or in the legal name of the spirit drink or spirit drin ks 
referred to in the allusion.  
▼M4 
3a. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, in the description, pres­
entation and labelling of a spirit drink other than spirit drin ks complying 
with the requirements of categories 33 to 40 of Annex I, the al lusion to 
a legal name provided for in a category of spirit drinks set ou t in that 
Annex or to a geographical indication for spirit drinks shall b e allowed 
on condition that:  
(a) the spirit drink referred to in the allusion:  
(i) has been used as the sole alcoholic base for the production  of 
the final spirit drink, which shall comply with the requirement s 
of a category of spirit drinks set out in Annex I,  
(ii) has not been combined with any foodstuffs other than the 
foodstuffs used for its production or the production of the 
final spirit drink in accordance with Annex I or the relevant 
product specification, and  
(iii) has not been diluted by addition of water so that its alc oholic 
strength is below the minimum strength provided for under the 
category of spirit drinks set out in Annex I or the product 
specification for the geographical indication to which the 
spirit drink referred to in the allusion belongs; or  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 15  
(b) the spirit drink has been stored for the full maturation pe riod or part 
of it in a wooden cask previously used to mature the spirit dri nk 
referred to in the allusion, on condition that:  
(i) the wooden cask was emptied of its previous contents for th ose 
categories of spirit drinks or geographical indications for spi rit 
drinks for which the addition of alcohol, diluted or not, is 
prohibited,  
(ii) the allusion is made within the description of the cask us ed to 
mature the resulting spirit drink,  
(iii) the allusion appears less prominently than the legal name  of the 
spirit drink or any compound term used, and  
(iv) by way of derogation from paragraph 4, point (b), the allu sion 
appears in a font size no larger than the font size used for th e 
legal name of the spirit drink or any compound term used.  
4. The allusions referred to in paragraphs 2, 3 and 3a shall:  
▼M2 
(a) not be on the same line as the name of the alcoholic bevera ge; 
(b) appear in a font size which is no larger than half the font  size used 
for the name of the alcoholic beverage and, where compound term s 
are used, in a font size which is no larger than half the font size 
used for such compound terms, in accordance with point (c) of 
Article 11(3); and  
(c) in case of allusions in the description, presentation and l abelling of 
spirit drinks, always be accompanied by the legal name of the s pirit 
drink, which shall appear in the same visual field as the allus ion. 
▼B 
Article 13  
Additional rules on description, presentation and labelling  
1. The description, presentation or labelling of a spirit drink  may 
refer to the raw materials used to produce the ethyl alcohol of  agri­
cultural origin or distillates of agricultural origin used in t he production 
of that spirit drink only where that ethyl alcohol or those dis tillates have 
been obtained exclusively from those raw materials. In such a c ase, each 
type of ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin or distillate of a gricultural 
origin shall be mentioned in descending order of quantity by vo lume of 
pure alcohol.  
2. The legal names referred to in Article 10 may be included in  a list 
of ingredients for foodstuffs, provided that the list is in acc ordance with 
Articles 18 to 22 of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011.  ▼M4
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 16  
3. In the case of a mixture, the legal names provided for in th e 
categories of spirit drinks set out in Annex I or geographical indications 
for spirit drinks may be indicated only in a list of the alcoho lic 
ingredients appearing in the same visual field as the legal nam e of 
the spirit drink.  
In the case referred to in the first subparagraph, the list of alcoholic 
ingredients shall be accompanied by at least one of the terms r eferred to 
in point (e) of Article 10(6). Both the list of alcoholic ingre dients and 
the accompanying term shall appear in the same visual field as the legal 
name of the mixture, in uniform characters of the same font and  colour 
and in a font size which is no larger than half the font size u sed for the 
legal name.  
In addition, the proportion of each alcoholic ingredient in the  list of 
alcoholic ingredients shall be expressed at least once as a per centage, in 
descending order of quantities used. That proportion shall be e qual to 
the percentage by volume of pure alcohol it represents in the t otal pure 
alcohol content by volume of the mixture.  
3a. In the case of a blend, the spirit drink shall bear the leg al name 
provided for in the relevant category of spirit drinks set out in Annex I.  
In case of blends resulting from the combination of spirit drin ks 
belonging to different geographical indications or from the com bination 
of spirit drinks belonging to geographical indications with spi rit drinks 
not belonging to any geographical indication, the following con ditions 
shall apply:  
(a) the description, presentation or labelling of the blend may  show the 
legal names set out in Annex I or geographical indications corr e­
sponding to the spirits drinks that were blended, provided that  those 
names appear:  
(i) exclusively in a list of all the alcoholic ingredients cont ained in 
the blend which shall appear in uniform characters of the same 
font and colour and in a font size which is no larger than half  
the font size used for the legal name; and  
(ii) in the same visual field as the legal name of the blend at  least 
once;  
(b) the list of alcoholic ingredients shall be accompanied by a t least one 
of the terms referred to in point (d) of Article 10(6);  
(c) the proportion of each alcoholic ingredient in the list of alcoholic 
ingredients shall be expressed at least once as a percentage, i n 
descending order of quantities used. That proportion shall be 
equal to the percentage by volume of pure alcohol it represents  in 
the total pure alcohol content by volume of the blend.  
▼B 
4. By way of derogation from paragraph 3 of this Article, if a 
mixture complies with the requirements for one of the categorie s of 
spirit drinks set out in Annex I, that mixture shall bear the l egal 
name provided for in the relevant category.  ▼M1
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 17  
In the case referred to in the first subparagraph, the descript ion, pres­
entation or labelling of the mixture may show the legal names s et out in 
Annex I or geographical indications corresponding to the spirit s drinks 
that were mixed, provided that those names appear:  
(a) exclusively in a list of all the alcoholic ingredients cont ained in the 
mixture which shall appear in uniform characters of the same fo nt 
and colour and in a font size which is no larger than half the font 
size used for the legal name; and  
(b) in the same visual field as the legal name of the mixture a t least 
once.  
In addition, the proportion of each alcoholic ingredient in the  list of 
alcoholic ingredients shall be expressed at least once as a per centage, in 
descending order of quantities used. That proportion shall be e qual to 
the percentage by volume of pure alcohol it represents in the t otal pure 
alcohol content by volume of the mixture.  
5. The use of the names of plant raw materials which are used a s the 
legal names of certain spirit drinks shall be without prejudice  to the use 
of the names of those plant raw materials in the presentation a nd 
labelling of other foodstuffs. The names of such raw materials may 
be used in the description, presentation or labelling of other spirit 
drinks, provided that such use does not mislead the consumer.  
6. A maturation period or age may only be specified in the 
description, presentation or labelling of a spirit drink where it refers 
to the youngest alcoholic component of the spirit drink and in any 
case provided that all the operations to age the spirit drink t ook place 
under revenue supervision of a Member State or supervision prov iding 
equivalent guarantees. The Commission shall set up a public reg ister 
listing the bodies appointed by each Member State to supervise ageing 
processes.  
7. The legal name of a spirit drink shall be indicated in the e lectronic 
administrative document referred to in Commission Regulation (E C) 
No 684/2009 (  8 ). Where a maturation period or age is indicated in the 
description, presentation or labelling of the spirit drink, it shall also be 
mentioned in that administrative document.  
Article 14  
Indication of place of provenance  
1. Where the place of provenance of a spirit drink, other than a 
geographical indication or trade mark, is indicated in its desc ription, 
presentation or labelling, it shall correspond to the place or region 
where the stage in the production process which conferred on th e 
finished spirit drink its character and essential definitive qu alities took 
place.  ▼B 
( 8 ) Commission Regulation (EC) No 684/2009 of 24 July 2009 implem enting 
Council Directive 2008/118/EC as regards the computerised proce dures for 
the movement of excise goods under suspension of excise duty (O J L 197, 
29.7.2009, p. 24).
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 18  
2. The indication of the country of origin or place of provenan ce of 
the primary ingredient as referred to in Regulation (EU) No 116 9/2011 
shall not be required for spirit drinks.  
Article 15  
Language used for the names of spirit drinks  
1. The terms in italics in Annexes I and II and geographical in di­
cations shall not be translated either on the label or in the d escription 
and presentation of spirit drinks.  
2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1, in the case of spirit  
drinks produced in the Union and destined for export, the terms  
referred to in paragraph 1 and geographical indications may be accom­
panied by translations, transcriptions or transliterations, pro vided that 
such terms and geographical indications in the original languag e are 
not hidden.  
Article 16  
Use of a Union symbol for geographical indications  
The Union symbol for protected geographical indications establi shed 
pursuant to Article 12(7) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012 may b e 
used in the description, presentation and labelling of spirit d rinks the 
names of which are geographical indications.  
Article 17  
Prohibition of lead-based capsules and lead-based foil  
Spirit drinks shall not be held with a view to sale or be place d on the 
market in containers fitted with closing devices covered by lea d-based 
capsules or lead-based foil.  
Article 18  
Union reference methods of analysis  
1. Where ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, distillates of a gricultural 
origin or spirit drinks are to be analysed to verify that they comply with 
this Regulation, such analysis shall be in accordance with Unio n 
reference methods of analysis for the determination of their ch emical 
and physical composition and organoleptic properties.  
Other methods of analysis shall be permitted, under the respons ibility of 
the director of the laboratory, on condition that the accuracy,  repeat­
ability and reproducibility of the methods are at least equival ent to those 
of the relevant Union reference methods of analysis.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 19  
2. Where Union methods of analysis are not laid down for the 
detection and quantification of substances contained in a parti cular 
spirit drink, one or more of the following methods shall be use d: 
(a) methods of analysis that have been validated by internation ally 
recognised procedures and that, in particular, meet the criteri a set 
out in Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European  
Parliament and of the Council (  9 ); 
(b) methods of analysis conforming to the recommended standards  of 
the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO);  
(c) methods of analysis recognised and published by the Interna tional 
Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV); or  
(d) in the absence of a method as referred to in points (a), (b ) or (c), by 
reason of its accuracy, repeatability and reproducibility:  
— a method of analysis approved by the Member State concerned;  
— where necessary, any other suitable method of analysis.  
Article 19  
Delegated powers  
1. In order to take into account the traditional dynamic ageing  
process for  brandy  in Member States which is known as the ‘ criaderas 
y solera ’ system or ‘ solera e criaderas ’ system as set out in Annex III, 
the Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordan ce 
with Article 46 supplementing this Regulation by:  
(a) laying down derogations from Article 13(6) concerning the s pecifi­
cation of a maturation period or age in the description, presen tation 
or labelling of such  brandy ; and  
(b) establishing appropriate control mechanisms for such  brandy . 
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 46 supplementing this Regulation concer ning 
the setting up of a public register listing the bodies appointe d by each 
Member State to supervise ageing processes as provided for in 
Article 13(6).  ▼B 
( 9 ) Regulation (EC) No 882/2004 of the European Parliament and of  the Council 
of 29 April 2004 on official controls performed to ensure the v erification of 
compliance with feed and food law, animal health and animal wel fare rules 
(OJ L 165, 30.4.2004, p. 1).
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 20  
Article 20  
Implementing powers  
The Commission may, by means of implementing acts, adopt:  
(a) the rules necessary for communications to be made by Member  
States with regard to the bodies appointed to supervise ageing 
processes in accordance with Article 13(6);  
(b) uniform rules for indicating the country of origin or the p lace of 
provenance in the description, presentation or labelling of spi rit 
drinks referred to in Article 14;  
(c) rules on the use of the Union symbol referred to in Article  16 in the 
description, presentation and labelling of spirit drinks;  
(d) detailed technical rules on the Union reference methods of analysis 
referred to in Article 18.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the  exa­
mination procedure referred to in Article 47(2).  
CHAPTER III  
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATIONS  
Article 21  
Protection of geographical indications  
1. Geographical indications protected under this Regulation may  be 
used by any operator marketing a spirit drink produced in confo rmity 
with the corresponding product specification.  
2. Geographical indications protected under this Regulation sha ll be 
protected against:  
(a) any direct or indirect commercial use of a registered name in respect 
of products not covered by the registration where those product s are 
comparable to the products registered under that name or where 
using the name exploits the reputation of the protected name, 
including where those products are used as an ingredient;  
(b) any misuse, imitation or evocation, even if the true origin  of the 
products or services is indicated or if the protected name is 
translated or accompanied by an expression such as ‘style’, ‘ty pe’, 
‘method’, ‘as produced in’, ‘imitation’, ‘flavour’, ‘like’ or s imilar, 
including when those products are used as an ingredient;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 21  
(c) any other false or misleading indication as to the provenan ce, 
origin, nature or essential qualities of the product in the des cription, 
presentation or labelling of the product liable to convey a fal se 
impression as to the origin of the product;  
(d) any other practice liable to mislead the consumer as to the  true 
origin of the product.  
3. Geographical indications protected under this Regulation sha ll not 
become generic in the Union.  
4. The protection referred to in paragraph 2 shall also apply w ith 
regard to goods entering the customs territory of the Union wit hout 
being released for free circulation there.  
Article 22  
Product specification  
1. A geographical indication protected under this Regulation sh all 
comply with a product specification which shall include at leas t: 
(a) the name to be protected as a geographical indication, as i t is used, 
whether in trade or in common language, only in the languages 
which are or were historically used to describe the specific 
product in the defined geographical area, in the original scrip t and 
in Latin transcription if different;  
(b) the category of the spirit drink or the term ‘spirit drink’  if the spirit 
drink does not comply with the requirements laid down for the 
categories of spirit drinks set out in Annex I;  
(c) a description of the characteristics of the spirit drink, i ncluding the 
raw materials from which it is produced, if appropriate, as wel l as 
the principal physical, chemical or organoleptic characteristic s of the 
product and the specific characteristics of the product compare d to 
spirit drinks of the same category;  
(d) the definition of the geographical area delimited with rega rd to the 
link referred to in point (f);  
(e) a description of the method of producing the spirit drink a nd, where 
appropriate, the authentic and unvarying local production metho ds; 
(f) details establishing the link between a given quality, repu tation or 
other characteristic of the spirit drink and its geographical o rigin;  
(g) the names and addresses of the competent authorities or, if  
available, the names and addresses of the bodies that verify 
compliance with the provisions of the product specification 
pursuant to Article 38 and their specific tasks;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 22  
(h) any specific labelling rule for the geographical indication  in 
question.  
Where applicable, requirements regarding packaging shall be inc luded 
in the product specification, accompanied by a justification sh owing 
why the packaging must take place in the defined geographical a rea 
to safeguard quality, to ensure the origin or to ensure control , taking 
into account Union law, in particular Union law on the free mov ement 
of goods and the free provision of services.  
2. Technical files submitted as part of any application before 8 June 
2019 under Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 shall be deemed to be 
product specifications under this Article.  
Article 23  
Content of application for registration of a geographical indication  
1. An application for registration of a geographical indication  
pursuant to Article 24(5) or (8) shall include at least:  
(a) the name and address of the applicant group and of the comp etent 
authorities or, if available, the bodies that verify compliance  with 
the provisions of the product specification;  
(b) the product specification provided for in Article 22;  
(c) a single document setting out the following:  
(i) the main points of the product specification, including the  name 
to be protected, the category to which the spirit drink belongs  or 
the term ‘spirit drink’, the production method, a description o f 
the characteristics of the spirit drink, a concise definition o f the 
geographical area, and, where appropriate, specific rules 
concerning packaging and labelling;  
(ii) a description of the link between the spirit drink and its  
geographical origin as referred to in point (4) of Article 3, 
including, where appropriate, the specific elements of the 
product description or production method justifying the link.  
An application as referred to in Article 24(8) shall also inclu de the 
publication reference of the product specification and proof th at the 
name of the product is protected in its country of origin.  
2. An application dossier as referred to in Article 24(7) shall  include:  
(a) the name and address of the applicant group;  
(b) the single document referred to in point (c) of paragraph 1  of this 
Article;  
(c) a declaration by the Member State that it considers that th e appli­
cation meets the requirements of this Regulation and the provis ions 
adopted pursuant thereto;  
(d) the publication reference of the product specification.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 23  
Article 24  
Application for registration of a geographical indication  
1. Applications for the registration of a geographical indicati on under 
this Chapter may only be submitted by groups who work with the spirit 
drink, the name of which is proposed for registration.  
2. An authority designated by a Member State may be deemed to b e 
a group for the purposes of this Chapter if it is not feasible for the 
producers concerned to form a group by reason of their number, 
geographical locations or organisational characteristics. In su ch case, 
the application dossier referred to in Article 23(2) shall stat e those 
reasons.  
3. A single natural or legal person may be deemed to be a group  for 
the purpose of this Chapter if both of the following conditions  are 
fulfilled:  
(a) the person concerned is the only producer willing to submit  an 
application; and  
(b) the defined geographical area possesses characteristics whi ch differ 
appreciably from those of neighbouring areas, the characteristi cs of 
the spirit drink are different from those produced in neighbour ing 
areas or the spirit drink has a special quality, reputation or other 
characteristic which is clearly attributable to its geographica l origin.  
4. In the case of a geographical indication that designates a c ross- 
border geographical area, several groups from different Member States 
or third countries may submit a joint application for registrat ion. 
Where a joint application is submitted, it shall be submitted t o the 
Commission by a Member State concerned, or by an applicant grou p 
in a third country concerned, directly or through the authoriti es of that 
third country after consultation of all the authorities and app licant 
groups concerned. The joint application shall include the decla ration 
referred to in point (c) of Article 23(2) from all the Member S tates 
concerned. The requirements laid down in Article 23 shall be fu lfilled 
in all Member States and third countries concerned.  
In the case of joint applications, the related national opposit ion 
procedures shall be carried out in all the Member States concer ned. 
5. Where the application relates to a geographical area in a Me mber 
State, the application shall be submitted to the authorities of  that 
Member State.  
The Member State shall scrutinise the application by appropriat e means 
in order to check that it is reasoned and meets the requirement s of this 
Chapter.  
6. As part of the scrutiny referred to in the second subparagra ph of 
paragraph 5, the Member State shall initiate a national opposit ion 
procedure that ensures adequate publication of the application referred 
to in paragraph 5 and that provides for a reasonable period wit hin which 
any natural or legal person having a legitimate interest and re sident or 
established on its territory may submit an opposition to the ap plication.  
The Member State shall examine the admissibility of any opposit ion 
received in accordance with the criteria referred to in Article  28. ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 24  
7. If, after assessment of any opposition received, the Member State 
considers that the requirements of this Chapter are met, it may  take a 
favourable decision and submit an application dossier to the 
Commission. In such a case, it shall inform the Commission of 
admissible oppositions received from a natural or legal person that 
has legally marketed the products in question, using the names 
concerned continuously for at least five years preceding the da te of 
the publication referred to in paragraph 6. Member States shall  also 
keep the Commission informed of any national judicial proceedin gs 
that may affect the registration procedure.  
The Member State shall ensure that where it takes a favourable decision 
pursuant to the first subparagraph, that decision is made publi c and that 
any natural or legal person having a legitimate interest has an  oppor­
tunity to appeal.  
The Member State shall ensure that the version of the product s pecifi­
cation on which its favourable decision is based is published, and shall 
provide electronic access to the product specification.  
The Member State shall also ensure adequate publication of the version 
of the product specification on which the Commission takes its decision 
pursuant to Article 26(2).  
8. Where the application relates to a geographical area in a th ird 
country, the application shall be submitted to the Commission, either 
directly or via the authorities of the third country concerned.  
9. The documents referred to in this Article which are sent to the 
Commission shall be in one of the official languages of the Uni on. 
Article 25  
Provisional national protection  
1. On a provisional basis only, a Member State may grant protec tion 
to a name under this Chapter at national level, with effect fro m the date 
on which an application is submitted to the Commission.  
2. Such national protection shall cease on the date on which ei ther a 
decision on registration under this Chapter is taken or the app lication is 
withdrawn.  
3. Where a name is not registered under this Chapter, the conse ­
quences of such national protection shall be the sole responsib ility of 
the Member State concerned.  
4. The measures taken by Member States under paragraph 1 shall 
produce effects at national level only, and shall have no effec t on 
intra-Union or international trade.  
Article 26  
Scrutiny by the Commission and publication for opposition  
1. The Commission shall scrutinise by appropriate means any app li­
cation that it receives pursuant to Article 24, in order to che ck that it is 
reasoned, that it meets the requirements of this Chapter, and t hat the 
interests of stakeholders outside the Member State of applicati on have 
been taken into account. Such scrutiny shall be based on the si ngle 
document referred to in point (c) of Article 23(1), shall consi st of a  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 25  
check that there are no manifest errors in the application, and , as a 
general rule, shall not exceed a period of six months. However,  
where this period is exceeded, the Commission shall immediately  
indicate in writing to the applicant the reasons for the delay.  
The Commission shall, at least each month, make public the list  of 
names for which registration applications have been submitted t o it, 
as well as their date of submission. The list shall also contai n the 
name of the Member State or third country from which the applic ation 
came.  
2. Where, based on the scrutiny carried out pursuant to the fir st 
subparagraph of paragraph 1, the Commission considers that the 
requirements of this Chapter are met, it shall publish in the  Official 
Journal of the European Union  the single document referred to in 
point (c) of Article 23(1) and the publication reference of the  product 
specification.  
Article 27  
Opposition procedure  
1. Within three months from the date of publication in the  Official 
Journal of the European Union , the authorities of a Member State or of 
a third country, or a natural or legal person having a legitima te interest 
and resident or established in a third country may submit a not ice of 
opposition to the Commission.  
Any natural or legal person having a legitimate interest and re sident or 
established in a Member State other than that from which the ap pli­
cation was submitted, may submit a notice of opposition to the Member 
State in which that person is resident or established within a time limit 
permitting an opposition to be submitted pursuant to the first 
subparagraph.  
A notice of opposition shall contain a declaration that the app lication 
might infringe the requirements of this Chapter.  
A notice of opposition that does not contain such a declaration  shall be 
void.  
The Commission shall forward the notice of opposition without d elay to 
the authority or body that submitted the application.  
2. If a notice of opposition is submitted to the Commission and  is 
followed within two months by a reasoned statement of oppositio n, the 
Commission shall check the admissibility of this reasoned state ment of 
opposition.  
3. Within two months from the receipt of an admissible reasoned  
statement of opposition, the Commission shall invite the author ity or 
person that submitted the opposition and the authority or body that 
submitted the application to engage in appropriate consultation s for a 
period that shall not exceed three months. That deadline shall start on 
the date when the invitation to the interested parties is deliv ered by 
electronic means.  
The authority or person that submitted the opposition and the a uthority 
or body that submitted the application shall start such appropr iate 
consultations without undue delay. They shall provide each othe r with 
the relevant information to assess whether the application for regis­
tration complies with the requirements of this Chapter. If no 
agreement is reached, that information shall also be provided t o the 
Commission.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 26  
When the interested parties reach an agreement, the authorities  of the 
Member State or of the third country from which the application  was 
submitted shall notify the Commission of all the factors which enabled 
that agreement to be reached, including the opinions of the app licant 
and of the authorities of a Member State or of a third country,  or of 
other natural and legal persons having submitted an opposition.  
Irrespective of whether an agreement has been reached or not, t he 
notification to the Commission shall be made within one month f rom 
the end of the consultations.  
At any time during those three months, the Commission may, at t he 
request of the applicant extend the deadline for the consultati ons by a 
maximum of three months.  
4. Where, following the appropriate consultations referred to i n 
paragraph 3 of this Article, the details published in accordanc e with 
Article 26(2) have been substantially amended, the Commission s hall 
repeat the scrutiny referred to in Article 26.  
5. The notice of opposition, the reasoned statement of oppositi on and 
the related documents which are sent to the Commission in accor dance 
with paragraphs 1 to 4 shall be in one of the official language s of the 
Union.  
Article 28  
Grounds for opposition  
1. A reasoned statement of opposition as referred to in Article  27(2) 
shall be admissible only if it is received by the Commission wi thin the 
time limit set out in that Article and if it shows that:  
(a) the proposed geographical indication does not comply with t he 
definition in point (4) of Article 3 or with the requirements 
referred to in Article 22;  
(b) the registration of the proposed geographical indication wo uld be 
contrary to Article 34 or 35;  
(c) the registration of the proposed geographical indication wo uld jeop­
ardise the existence of an entirely or partly identical name or  of a 
trade mark or the existence of products which have been legally  on 
the market for at least five years preceding the date of the pu bli­
cation provided for in Article 26(2); or  
(d) the requirements referred to in Articles 31 and 32 are not complied 
with.  
2. The grounds for opposition shall be assessed in relation to the 
territory of the Union.  
Article 29  
Transitional periods for use of geographical indications  
1. The Commission may adopt implementing acts granting a tran­
sitional period of up to five years to enable spirit drinks ori ginating in a 
Member State or a third country, and the name of which contrave nes 
Article 21(2), to continue to use the designation under which t hey were 
marketed on condition that an admissible statement of oppositio n under 
Article 24(6) or Article 27 shows that the registration of the name 
would jeopardise the existence of:  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 27  
(a) an entirely identical name or of a compound name, one term of 
which is identical to the name to be registered; or  
(b) other names similar to the name to be registered which refe r to spirit 
drinks which have been legally on the market for at least five years 
preceding the date of the publication provided for in Article 2 6(2).  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the  exa­
mination procedure referred to in Article 47(2).  
2. Without prejudice to Article 36, the Commission may adopt im ­
plementing acts extending the transitional period granted under  
paragraph 1 up to 15 years, or allowing continued use for up to  15 
years in duly justified cases, provided it is shown that:  
(a) the designation referred to in paragraph 1 has been in lega l use 
consistently and fairly for at least 25 years before the applic ation 
for protection was submitted to the Commission;  
(b) the purpose of using the designation referred to in paragra ph 1 has 
not, at any time, been to profit from the reputation of the reg istered 
geographical indication; and  
(c) the consumer has not been nor could have been misled as to the true 
origin of the product.  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the  exa­
mination procedure referred to in Article 47(2).  
3. When using a designation referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, the 
indication of the country of origin shall clearly and visibly a ppear on the 
labelling.  
Article 30  
Decision on registration  
1. Where, on the basis of the information available to the 
Commission from the scrutiny carried out pursuant to the first subpara­
graph of Article 26(1), the Commission considers that the condi tions for 
the registration of a proposed geographical indication are not fulfilled, it 
shall inform the Member State or third country applicant concer ned of 
the reasons for rejection and shall give it two months to submi t obser­
vations. If the Commission receives no observations or if, desp ite the 
observations received, it still considers that the conditions f or regis­
tration are not fulfilled it shall, by means of implementing ac ts, reject 
the application unless the application is withdrawn. Those impl ementing 
acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination proced ure 
referred to in Article 47(2).  
2. If the Commission receives no notice of opposition or no 
admissible reasoned statement of opposition under Article 27, i t shall 
adopt implementing acts, without applying the procedure referre d to in 
Article 47(2), to register the name.  
3. If the Commission receives an admissible reasoned statement of 
opposition, it shall, following the appropriate consultations r eferred to in 
Article 27(3), and taking into account the results thereof, eit her: ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 28  
(a) if an agreement has been reached, register the name by mean s of 
implementing acts adopted without applying the procedure referr ed 
to in Article 47(2), and, if necessary, amend the information 
published pursuant to Article 26(2) provided such amendments 
are not substantial; or  
(b) if an agreement has not been reached, adopt implementing ac ts 
deciding on the registration. Those implementing acts shall be 
adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred t o 
in Article 47(2).  
4. Acts of registration and decisions on rejection shall be pub lished 
in the  Official Journal of the European Union . 
The act of registration shall grant the protection referred to in Article 21 
to the geographical indication.  
Article 31  
Amendment to a product specification  
1. Any group having a legitimate interest may apply for approva l of 
an amendment to a product specification.  
Applications shall describe and give reasons for the amendments  
requested.  
2. Amendments to a product specification shall be classified in to two 
categories as regards their importance:  
(a) Union amendments requiring an opposition procedure at Union  
level;  
(b) standard amendments to be dealt with at Member State or thi rd 
country level.  
3. An amendment shall be considered a Union amendment if it:  
(a) includes a change in the name or any part of the name of th e 
geographical indication registered under this Regulation;  
(b) consists of a change of the legal name or the category of t he spirit 
drink;  
(c) risks voiding the given quality, reputation or other charac teristic of 
the spirit drink that is essentially attributable to its geogra phical 
origin; or  
(d) entails further restrictions on the marketing of the produc t. 
Any other amendments shall be considered standard amendments.  
A standard amendment shall also be considered a temporary amend ment 
when it concerns a temporary change in the product specificatio n 
resulting from the imposition of obligatory sanitary and phytos anitary 
measures by the public authorities or is linked to natural disa sters or 
adverse weather conditions formally recognised by the competent  
authorities.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 29  
4. Union amendments shall be approved by the Commission. The 
approval procedure shall follow,  mutatis mutandis , the procedure laid 
down in Article 24 and Articles 26 to 30. Applications for Unio n 
amendments submitted by a third country or by third country 
producers shall contain proof that the requested amendment comp lies 
with the laws applicable in that third country to the protectio n of 
geographical indications.  
5. Standard amendments shall be approved by the Member State in  
whose territory the geographical area of the product concerned is 
located. As regards third countries, amendments shall be approv ed in 
accordance with the law applicable in the third country concern ed. 
6. The scrutiny of the application for amendment shall only add ress 
the proposed amendment.  
Article 32  
Cancellation  
1. The Commission may, on its own initiative or at the request of 
any natural or legal person having a legitimate interest, adopt  implemen­
ting acts to cancel the registration of a geographical indicati on in either 
of the following cases:  
(a) where compliance with the requirements for the product spec ifi­
cation can no longer be ensured;  
(b) where no product has been placed on the market under the 
geographical indication for at least seven consecutive years.  
Articles 24, 26, 27, 28 and 30 shall apply  mutatis mutandis  to the 
cancellation procedure.  
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, the Commission may, at the requ est 
of the producers of the spirit drink marketed under the registe red 
geographical indication, adopt implementing acts cancelling the  corre­
sponding registration.  
3. In the cases referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2, before adopt ing the 
implementing act, the Commission shall consult the authorities of the 
Member State, the authorities of the third country or, where po ssible, 
the third country producer which had originally applied for the  regis­
tration of the geographical indication concerned, unless the ca ncellation 
is directly requested by those original applicants.  
4. The implementing acts referred to in this Article shall be a dopted 
in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in 
Article 47(2).  
Article 33  
Register of geographical indications of spirit drinks  
1. The Commission shall adopt, by 8 June 2021, delegated acts i n 
accordance with Article 46 supplementing this Regulation by est ab­
lishing a publicly accessible electronic register, which is kep t up to 
date, of geographical indications of spirit drinks recognised u nder this 
scheme (‘the register’).  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 30  
2. The name of a geographical indication shall be registered in  its 
original script. Where the original script is not in Latin char acters, a 
transcription or transliteration in Latin characters shall be r egistered 
together with the name in its original script.  
For geographical indications registered under this Chapter, the  register 
shall provide direct access to the single documents and shall a lso 
contain the publication reference of the product specification.  
For geographical indications registered before 8 June 2019, the  register 
shall provide direct access to the main specifications of the t echnical file 
as set out in Article 17(4) of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008.  
The Commission shall adopt delegated acts in accordance with 
Article 46 supplementing this paragraph by laying down further 
detailed rules on the form and content of the register.  
3. Geographical indications of spirit drinks produced in third 
countries that are protected in the Union pursuant to an intern ational 
agreement to which the Union is a contracting party may be ente red in 
the register as geographical indications.  
Article 34  
Homonymous geographical indications  
1. If a name for which an application is submitted is a whole o r 
partial homonym of a name already registered under this Regulat ion, 
the name shall be registered with due regard to local and tradi tional 
usage and any risk of confusion.  
2. A homonymous name which misleads the consumer into believing  
that products come from another territory shall not be register ed even if 
the name is accurate as far as the actual territory, region or place of 
origin of those products is concerned.  
3. The use of a registered homonymous geographical indication s hall 
be subject to there being a sufficient distinction in practice between the 
homonym registered subsequently and the name already in the reg ister, 
having regard to the need to treat the producers concerned in a n 
equitable manner and not to mislead the consumer.  
4. The protection of geographical indications of spirit drinks referred 
to in Article 21 of this Regulation shall be without prejudice to the 
protected geographical indications and designations of origin o f 
products under Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 and (EU) No 251/20 14. 
Article 35  
Specific grounds for refusal of protection  
1. A generic name shall not be protected as a geographical 
indication.  
To establish whether or not a name has become a generic name, a ccount 
shall be taken of all relevant factors, in particular:  
(a) the existing situation in the Union, in particular in areas  of 
consumption;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 31  
(b) the relevant Union or national legislation.  
2. A name shall not be protected as a geographical indication w here, 
in the light of a trade mark's reputation and renown, protectio n could 
mislead the consumer as to the true identity of the spirit drin k. 
3. A name shall only be protected as a geographical indication if the 
production steps which give the spirit drink the quality, reput ation or 
other characteristic that is essentially attributable to its ge ographical 
origin, take place in the relevant geographical area.  
Article 36  
Relationship between trade marks and geographical indications  
1. The registration of a trade mark the use of which correspond s or 
would correspond to one or more of the situations referred to i n 
Article 21(2) shall be refused or invalidated.  
2. A trade mark the use of which corresponds to one or more of the 
situations referred to in Article 21(2), which has been applied  for, 
registered, or established by use, if that possibility is provi ded for by 
the legislation concerned, in good faith within the territory o f the Union, 
before the date on which the application for protection of the 
geographical indication was submitted to the Commission, may 
continue to be used and renewed notwithstanding the registratio n of a 
geographical indication, provided that no grounds for its inval idity or 
revocation exist under Directive (EU) 2015/2436 of the European  
Parliament and of the Council (  10 ) or Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of 
the European Parliament and of the Council (  11 ). 
Article 37  
Existing registered geographical indications  
Geographical indications of spirit drinks registered in Annex I II to 
Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 and thus protected under that Regul ation 
shall automatically be protected as geographical indications un der this 
Regulation. The Commission shall list them in the register refe rred to in 
Article 33 of this Regulation.  
Article 38  
Verification of compliance with the product specification  
1. Member States shall draw up and keep up to date a list of 
operators that produce spirit drinks with a geographical indica tion 
registered under this Regulation.  
2. In respect of the geographical indications that designate sp irit 
drinks originating within the Union registered under this Regul ation, 
verification of compliance with the product specification refer red to in 
Article 22, before placing the product on the market, shall be carried out 
by: ▼B 
( 10 ) Directive (EU) 2015/2436 of the European Parliament and of th e Council of 
16 December 2015 to approximate the laws of the Member States r elating to 
trade marks (OJ L 336, 23.12.2015, p. 1). 
( 11 ) Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of t he Council 
of 14 June 2017 on the European Union trade mark (OJ L 154, 16. 6.2017, 
p. 1).
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 32  
(a) one or more competent authorities referred to in Article 43 (1); or  
(b) control bodies within the meaning of point 5 of the second subpara­
graph of Article 2 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004, operating as  a 
product certification body.  
Where a Member State applies Article 24(2), verification of com pliance 
with the product specification shall be ensured by an authority  other 
than that deemed to be a group under that paragraph.  
Notwithstanding the national law of Member States, the costs of  such 
verification of compliance with the product specification may b e borne 
by the operators which are subject to those controls.  
3. In respect of the geographical indications that designate sp irit 
drinks originating within a third country registered under this  Regu­
lation, verification of compliance with the product specificati on, 
before placing the product on the market, shall be carried out by: 
(a) a public competent authority designated by the third countr y; or  
(b) a product certification body.  
4. Member States shall make public the names and addresses of t he 
competent authorities and bodies referred to in paragraph 2, an d update 
that information periodically.  
The Commission shall make public the name and address of the 
competent authorities and bodies referred to in paragraph 3 and  
update that information periodically.  
5. The control bodies referred to in point (b) of paragraph 2 a nd the 
product certification bodies referred to in point (b) of paragr aph 3 shall 
comply with and be accredited in accordance with European stand ard 
ISO/IEC 17065:2012 or any applicable future revision or amended  
version thereof.  
6. The competent authorities referred to in paragraphs 2 and 3 that 
verify compliance of the geographical indication protected unde r this 
Regulation with the product specification shall be objective an d 
impartial. They shall have at their disposal the qualified staf f and 
resources necessary to carry out their tasks.  
Article 39  
Surveillance of the use of names in the market place  
1. Member States shall carry out checks, based on a risk analys is, as 
regards the use, in the market place, of the geographical indic ations 
registered under this Regulation and shall take all necessary m easures 
in the event of breaches of the requirements of this Chapter.  
2. Member States shall take appropriate administrative and judi cial 
steps to prevent or stop the unlawful use of the names of produ cts or 
services that are produced or marketed in their territory and t hat are 
covered by geographical indications registered under this Regul ation.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 33  
To that end, Member States shall designate the authorities that  are 
responsible for taking those steps, in accordance with procedur es 
determined by each individual Member State.  
Those authorities shall offer adequate guarantees of objectivit y and 
impartiality, and shall have at their disposal the qualified st aff and 
resources necessary to carry out their tasks.  
3. Member States shall inform the Commission of the names and 
addresses of the competent authorities responsible for controls  as 
regards the use of names in the market place, and designated in  
accordance with Article 43. The Commission shall make public th e 
names and addresses of those authorities.  
Article 40  
Procedure and requirements, and planning and reporting of control 
activities  
1. The procedures and requirements laid down in Regulation (EC)  
No 882/2004 shall apply  mutatis mutandis  to the checks provided for in 
Articles 38 and 39 of this Regulation.  
2. Member States shall ensure that activities for the control o f obli­
gations under this Chapter are specifically included in a separ ate 
section within the multi-annual national control plans in accor dance 
with Articles 41 to 43 of Regulation (EC) No 882/2004.  
3. The annual reports referred to in Article 44(1) of Regulatio n (EC) 
No 882/2004 shall include in a separate section the information  referred 
to in that provision concerning the control of the obligations established 
by this Regulation.  
Article 41  
Delegated powers  
1. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 46 supplementing this Regulation by set ting 
out further conditions to be followed, including in cases where  a  
geographical area includes more than one country, in respect of : 
(a) an application for the registration of a geographical indic ation as 
referred to in Articles 23 and 24; and  
(b) preliminary national procedures as referred to in Article 2 4, scrutiny 
by the Commission, the opposition procedure, and the cancellati on 
of geographical indications.  
2. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in 
accordance with Article 46 supplementing this Regulation by est ab­
lishing conditions and requirements for the procedure concernin g the 
Union amendments and standard amendments, including temporary 
amendments, to product specifications as referred to in Article  31. 
Article 42  
Implementing powers  
1. The Commission may adopt implementing acts laying down 
detailed rules concerning:  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 34  
(a) the form of the product specification referred to in Articl e 22, and 
measures on the information to be provided in the product speci fi­
cation with regard to the link between the geographical area an d the 
final product as referred to in point (f) of Article 22(1);  
(b) the procedures for, form and presentation of, oppositions a s referred 
to in Articles 27 and 28;  
(c) the form and presentation of applications for Union amendme nts 
and of communications concerning standard and temporary 
amendments as referred to in Article 31(4) and (5) respectively ; 
(d) the procedures for and form of the cancellation process ref erred to 
in Article 32, as well as on the presentation of the requests f or 
cancellation; and  
(e) the checks and verifications to be carried out by the Membe r States, 
including testing, as referred to in Article 38.  
2. The Commission shall adopt, by 8 June 2021, implementing act s 
laying down detailed rules concerning the procedures for, form and 
presentation of, applications as referred to in Articles 23 and  24, 
including for applications concerning more than one national te rritory.  
3. The implementing acts referred to in paragraphs 1 and 2 shal l be 
adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred t o in 
Article 47(2).  
CHAPTER IV  
CHECKS, EXCHANGE OF INFORMATION, MEMBER STATES' 
LEGISLATION  
Article 43  
Checks on spirit drinks  
1. Member States shall be responsible for checks on spirit 
drinks. They shall take the measures necessary to ensure compli ance 
with this Regulation and designate the competent authorities re sponsible 
for ensuring this Regulation is complied with.  
2. The Commission shall ensure the uniform application of this 
Regulation and, where necessary, shall, by means of implementin g 
acts, adopt the rules concerning administrative and physical ch ecks to 
be conducted by the Member States with regard to the respect of  the 
obligations resulting from the application of this Regulation. Those 
implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the exami nation 
procedure referred to in Article 47(2).  
Article 44  
Exchange of information  
1. Member States and the Commission shall communicate to each 
other the information necessary for the application of this Reg ulation.  
2. The Commission may adopt implementing acts concerning the 
nature and the type of the information to be exchanged and the 
methods for exchanging information.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 35  
Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the  exa­
mination procedure referred to in Article 47(2).  
Article 45  
Member States' legislation  
1. In applying a quality policy for spirit drinks produced in t heir own 
territory and in particular for geographical indications listed  in the 
register or for the protection of new geographical indications,  Member 
States may lay down rules on production, description, presentat ion and 
labelling that are stricter than those set out in Annexes I and  II in so far 
as they are compatible with Union law.  
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, Member States shall not prohibi t or 
restrict the import, sale or consumption of spirit drinks produ ced in 
other Member States or third countries which comply with this R egu­
lation.  
CHAPTER V  
DELEGATION OF POWER, IMPLEMENTING PROVISIONS, 
TRANSITIONAL AND FINAL PROVISIONS  
SECTION 1  
Delegation of power and implementing provisions  
Article 46  
Exercise of the delegation  
1. The power to adopt delegated acts is conferred on the Commis sion 
subject to the conditions laid down in this Article.  
2. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 8 and 19 
shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of seven year s from 
24 May 2019. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect o f the 
delegation of power not later than nine months before the end o f the 
seven-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly ext ended for 
periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliamen t or the 
Council opposes such extension not later than three months befo re the 
end of each period.  
3. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Articles 33  and 
41 shall be conferred on the Commission for a period of five ye ars from 
24 May 2019. The Commission shall draw up a report in respect o f the 
delegation of power not later than nine months before the end o f the 
five-year period. The delegation of power shall be tacitly exte nded for 
periods of an identical duration, unless the European Parliamen t or the 
Council opposes such extension not later than three months befo re the 
end of each period.  
4. The power to adopt delegated acts referred to in Article 50 shall 
be conferred on the Commission for a period of six years from 2 4 May 
2019.  
5. The delegation of power referred to in Articles 8, 19, 33, 4 1 and 
50 may be revoked at any time by the European Parliament or by the 
Council. A decision to revoke shall put an end to the delegatio n of 
power specified in that decision. It shall take effect the day following 
the publication of the decision in the  Official Journal of the European 
Union  or at a later date specified therein. It shall not affect the validity 
of any delegated acts already in force.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 36  
6. Before adopting a delegated act, the Commission shall consul t 
experts designated by each Member State in accordance with the prin­
ciples laid down in the Interinstitutional Agreement of 13 Apri l 2016 on 
Better Law-Making.  
7. As soon as it adopts a delegated act, the Commission shall n otify 
it simultaneously to the European Parliament and to the Council . 
8. A delegated act adopted pursuant to Articles 8, 19, 33, 41 a nd 50 
shall enter into force only if no objection has been expressed either by 
the European Parliament or by the Council within a period of tw o 
months of notification of that act to the European Parliament a nd the 
Council or if, before the expiry of that period, the European P arliament 
and the Council have both informed the Commission that they wil l not 
object. That period shall be extended by two months at the init iative of 
the European Parliament or of the Council.  
Article 47  
Committee procedure  
1. The Commission shall be assisted by the Committee for Spirit  
Drinks established by Regulation (EEC) No 1576/89. That committ ee 
shall be a committee within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 
No 182/2011.  
2. Where reference is made to this paragraph, Article 5 of Regu ­
lation (EU) No 182/2011 shall apply.  
SECTION 2  
Derogation, transitional and final provisions  
Article 48  
Derogation from nominal quantities requirements in Directive 
2007/45/EC  
By way of derogation from Article 3 of Directive 2007/45/EC, an d from 
the sixth row of section 1 of the Annex to that Directive, sing le distilled  
shochu  ( 12 ), produced by pot still and bottled in Japan, may be placed 
on the Union market in nominal quantities of 720 ml and 1 800 m l. 
Article 49  
Repeal  
1. Without prejudice to Article 50, Regulation (EC) No 110/2008  is 
repealed with effect from 25 May 2021. However, Chapter III the reof is 
repealed with effect from 8 June 2019.  
2. By way of derogation from paragraph 1:  
(a) Article 17(2) of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 shall continue  to 
apply until 25 May 2021;  ▼B 
( 12 ) As referred to in Annex 2-D to the Agreement between the Euro pean Union 
and Japan for an Economic Partnership.
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 37  
(b) Article 20 of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 and, without prej udice 
to the applicability of the other provisions of Commission Impl e­
menting Regulation (EU) No 716/2013 (  13 ), Article 9 of that Imple­
menting Regulation shall continue to apply until the completion  of 
the procedures provided for in Article 9 of that Implementing R egu­
lation but, in any event, no later than 25 May 2021; and  
(c) Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 shall continue to apply 
until the register referred to in Article 33 of this Regulation  has 
been established.  
3. References to Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 shall be construed  as 
references to this Regulation and be read in accordance with th e corre­
lation table set out in Annex IV to this Regulation.  
Article 50  
Transitional measures 
▼C2 
1. Products referred to in Article 1(1) of this Regulation whic h do 
not meet the requirements of this Regulation but which meet the  
requirements of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 and were produced 
before 25 May 2021 may continue to be placed on the market unti l 
stocks are exhausted.  
▼B 
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1 of this Article, spirit drinks t he 
description, presentation or labelling of which is not in confo rmity 
with Articles 21 and 36 of this Regulation but complies with Ar ticles 
16 and 23 of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 and which were labelle d 
before 8 June 2019 may continue to be placed on the market unti l 
stocks are exhausted.  
3. Until 25 May 2025, the Commission is empowered to adopt 
delegated acts in accordance with Article 46 amending Article 3 (2), 
(3), (9), (10), (11) and (12), Article 10(6) and (7), and Artic les 11, 
12 and 13 or supplementing this Regulation by derogating from t hose 
provisions.  
The delegated acts referred to in the first subparagraph shall be strictly 
limited to meeting demonstrated needs that result from market 
circumstances.  
The Commission shall adopt a separate delegated act in respect of each 
definition, technical definition or requirement in the provisio ns referred 
to in the first subparagraph.  
4. Articles 22 to 26, 31 and 32 of this Regulation shall not ap ply to 
applications for registration or for amendment or to requests f or cancel­
lation, which are pending on 8 June 2019. Articles 17(4), (5) a nd (6), 18 
and 21 of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 shall continue to apply t o such 
applications and requests for cancellation.  
The provisions on the opposition procedure referred to in Artic les 27, 
28 and 29 of this Regulation shall not apply to the application s for 
registration or to the applications for amendment, in relation to which 
the main specifications of the technical file or an application  for 
amendment, respectively, have already been published for opposi tion 
in the  Official Journal of the European Union  on 8 June 2019. 
Article 17(7) of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 shall continue to apply 
to such applications.  ▼B 
( 13 ) Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 716/2013 of 25 Jul y 2013 
laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EC) No 110 /2008 of the 
European Parliament and of the Council on the definition, descr iption, pres­
entation, labelling and the protection of geographical indicati ons of spirit 
drinks (OJ L 201, 26.7.2013, p. 21).
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 38  
The provisions on the opposition procedure referred to in Artic les 27, 
28 and 29 of this Regulation shall not apply to a request for c ancellation 
which is pending on 8 June 2019. Article 18 of Regulation (EC) 
No 110/2008 shall continue to apply to such requests for cancel lation.  
5. For the geographical indications registered under Chapter II I of 
this Regulation and of which the application for registration w as 
pending on the date of application of the implementing acts lay ing 
down detailed rules on the procedures for, form and presentatio n of, 
applications as referred to in Article 23 provided for in Artic le 42(2) of 
this Regulation, the register may provide direct access to the main 
specifications of the technical file within the meaning of Arti cle 17(4) 
of Regulation (EC) No 110/2008.  
6. In respect of geographical indications registered in accorda nce 
with Regulation (EC) No 110/2008 the Commission shall, at the 
request of a Member State, publish a single document submitted by 
that Member State in the  Official Journal of the European Union . 
That publication shall be accompanied by the publication refere nce of 
the product specification and shall not be followed by an oppos ition 
procedure.  
Article 51  
Entry into force and application  
1. This Regulation shall enter into force on the seventh day fo llowing 
that of its publication in the  Official Journal of the European Union . 
It shall apply from 25 May 2021.  
▼C1 
2. Notwithstanding paragraph 1, Article 14(2), Article 16, poin t (c) 
of Article 20, Articles 21, 22 and 23, Article 24(1), (2) and ( 3), the first 
and second subparagraphs of Article 24(4), Article 24(8) and (9 ), 
Articles 25 to 42, Articles 46 and 47, Article 50(1), (4) and ( 6), 
points 39(d) and 40(d) of Annex I and the definitions set out i n 
Article 3 relating to those provisions shall apply from 8 June 2019.  
▼B 
3. The delegated acts provided for in Articles 8, 19 and 50, ad opted 
in accordance with Article 46, and the implementing acts provid ed for 
in Article 8(4) and Articles 20, 43 and 44, adopted in accordan ce with 
Article 47, shall apply from 25 May 2021.  
This Regulation shall be binding in its entirety and directly a pplicable in 
all Member States.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 39  
ANNEX I  
CATEGORIES OF SPIRIT DRINKS  
1. Rum  
(a) Rum is a spirit drink produced exclusively by the distillat ion of the 
product obtained by the alcoholic fermentation of molasses or s yrup 
produced in the manufacture of cane sugar or of sugar-cane juic e 
itself, distilled at less than 96 % vol., so that the distillat e has the 
discernible specific organoleptic characteristics of rum.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of rum shall be 37 ,5 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Rum shall not be flavoured.  
(e) Rum may only contain added caramel as a means of adjusting the 
colour.  
(f) Rum may be sweetened in order to round off the final taste.  However, 
the final product may not contain more than 20 grams of sweeten ing 
products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(g) In the case of geographical indications registered under th is Regulation, 
the legal name of rum may be supplemented by:  
(i) the term ‘ traditionnel ’ or ‘ tradicional ’, provided that the rum in 
question:  
— has been produced by distillation at less than 90 % vol., aft er 
alcoholic fermentation of alcohol-producing materials originati ng 
exclusively from the place of production considered, and  
— has a volatile substances content equal to or exceeding 
225 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol, and  
— is not sweetened;  
(ii) the term ‘agricultural’, provided that the rum in question  complies 
with the requirements under point (i) and has been produced 
exclusively by distillation after alcoholic fermentation of 
sugar-cane juice. The term ‘agricultural’ may only be used in t he 
case of a geographical indication of a French Overseas Departme nt 
or the Autonomous Region of Madeira.  
This point shall be without prejudice to the use of the term ‘a gricultural’, 
‘traditionnel ’ or ‘ tradicional ’ in connection with any product not 
covered by this category, in accordance with their own specific  criteria.  
2. Whisky  or whiskey  
(a) Whisky  or whiskey  is a spirit drink produced exclusively by carrying out 
all of the following production operations:  
(i) distillation of a mash made from malted cereals, with or wi thout 
whole grains of unmalted cereals, which has been:  
— saccharified by the diastase of the malt contained therein, w ith 
or without other natural enzymes,  
— fermented by the action of yeast;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 40  
(ii) each and every distillation is carried out at less than 94 ,8 % vol., so 
that the distillate has an aroma and taste derived from the raw  
materials used;  
(iii) maturation of the final distillate for at least three yea rs in wooden 
casks not exceeding 700 litres capacity.  
The final distillate, to which only water and plain caramel (fo r colouring) 
may be added, shall retain the colour, aroma and taste it deriv ed from the 
production process referred to in points (i), (ii) and (iii).  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  whisky  o r whiskey  shall 
be 40 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Whisky  o r whiskey  shall not be sweetened, even for rounding off the 
taste, or flavoured, or contain any additives other than plain caramel (E 
150a) used for adjusting the colour.  
(e) The legal name of ‘ whisky ’ or ‘ whiskey ’ may be supplemented by the 
term ‘single malt’ only if it has been distilled exclusively fr om malted 
barley at a single distillery.  
3. Grain spirit  
(a) Grain spirit is a spirit drink produced exclusively by the distillation of a 
fermented mash of whole grain cereals and having organoleptic c harac­
teristics derived from the raw materials used.  
(b) With the exception of  Korn , the minimum alcoholic strength by volume 
of grain spirit shall be 35 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Grain spirit shall not be flavoured.  
(e) Grain spirit may only contain added caramel as a means of a djusting the 
colour.  
(f) Grain spirit may be sweetened in order to round off the fin al taste. 
However, the final product may not contain more than 10 grams o f 
sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(g) A grain spirit may bear the legal name ‘grain brandy’ if it  has been 
produced by distillation at less than 95 % vol. from a fermente d mash of 
whole grain cereals, presenting organoleptic features deriving from the 
raw materials used.  
(h) In the legal name ‘grain spirit’ or ‘grain brandy’, the wor d ‘grain’ may 
be replaced with the name of the cereal used exclusively in the  
production of the spirit drink.  
4. Wine spirit  
(a) Wine spirit is a spirit drink which meets the following req uirements:  
▼C1 
(i) it is produced exclusively by the distillation at less than  86 % vol. 
of wine, wine fortified for distillation or wine distillate;  
▼B 
(ii) it has a volatile substances content equal to or exceeding  125 grams 
per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 41  
(iii) it has a maximum methanol content of 200 grams per hectol itre of 
100 % vol. alcohol.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of wine spirit sha ll be 
37,5 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Wine spirit shall not be flavoured. This shall not preclude  traditional 
production methods.  
(e) Wine spirit may only contain added caramel as a means of ad justing the 
colour.  
(f) Wine spirit may be sweetened in order to round off the fina l taste. 
However, the final product may not contain more than 20 grams o f 
sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(g) Where wine spirit has been matured, it may continue to be p laced on the 
market as ‘wine spirit’ provided that it has been matured for a s long as, 
or longer than, the maturation period provided for in respect o f the spirit 
drink defined under category 5.  
(h) This Regulation shall be without prejudice to the use of th e term 
‘Branntwein ’ in combination with the term ‘ essig ’ in the presentation 
and labelling of vinegar.  
5. Brandy  or Weinbrand  
(a) Brandy  o r Weinbrand  is a spirit drink which meets the following 
requirements:  
(i) it is produced from wine spirit to which wine distillate ma y be 
added, provided that that wine distillate has been distilled at  less 
than 94,8 % vol. and does not exceed a maximum of 50 % of the 
alcoholic content of the finished product;  
(ii) it has matured for at least:  
— one year in oak receptacles with a capacity of at least 1 000  
litres each; or  
— six months in oak casks with a capacity of less than 1 000 li tres 
each;  
(iii) it has a volatile substances content equal to or exceedin g 125 grams 
per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol, and derived exclusively f rom 
the distillation of the raw materials used;  
(iv) it has a maximum methanol content of 200 grams per hectoli tre of 
100 % vol. alcohol.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  brandy  o r Weinbrand  
shall be 36 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Brandy  o r Weinbrand  shall not be flavoured. This shall not preclude 
traditional production methods.  
(e) Brandy  o r Weinbrand  may only contain added caramel as a means of 
adjusting the colour.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 42  
(f) Brandy  o r Weinbrand  may be sweetened in order to round off the final 
taste. However, the final product may not contain more than 35 grams of 
sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
6. Grape marc spirit or grape marc  
(a) Grape marc spirit or grape marc is a spirit drink which mee ts the 
following requirements:  
(i) it is produced exclusively from grape marc fermented and di stilled 
either directly by water vapour or after water has been added a nd 
both of the following conditions are fulfilled:  
— each and every distillation is carried out at less than 86 % vol.; 
— the first distillation is carried out in the presence of the marc 
itself;  
(ii) a quantity of lees may be added to the grape marc that doe s not 
exceed 25 kg of lees per 100 kg of grape marc used;  
(iii) the quantity of alcohol derived from the lees shall not e xceed 35 % 
of the total quantity of alcohol in the finished product;  
(iv) it has a volatile substances content equal to or exceeding  140 grams 
per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol and has a maximum methanol  
content of 1 000 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of grape marc spir it or grape 
marc shall be 37,5 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Grape marc spirit or grape marc shall not be flavoured. Thi s shall not 
preclude traditional production methods.  
(e) Grape marc spirit or grape marc may only contain added cara mel as a 
means of adjusting the colour.  
(f) Grape marc spirit or grape marc may be sweetened in order t o round off 
the final taste. However, the final product may not contain mor e than 
20 grams of sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
7. Fruit marc spirit  
(a) Fruit marc spirit is a spirit drink which meets the followi ng 
requirements:  
(i) it is produced exclusively by fermentation and distillation  of fruit 
marc other than grape marc and both of the following conditions  are 
fulfilled:  
— each and every distillation is carried out at less than 86 % vol.; 
— the first distillation is carried out in the presence of the marc 
itself;  
(ii) it has a minimum volatile substances content of 200 grams per 
hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 43  
(iii) the maximum methanol content shall be 1 500 grams per hec tolitre 
of 100 % vol. alcohol;  
(iv) the maximum hydrocyanic acid content shall be 7 grams per 
hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol in the case of stone-fruit mar c 
spirit.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of fruit marc spir it shall be 
37,5 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Fruit marc spirit shall not be flavoured.  
(e) Fruit marc spirit may only contain added caramel as a means  of 
adjusting the colour.  
(f) Fruit marc spirit may be sweetened in order to round off th e final taste. 
However, the final product may not contain more than 20 grams o f 
sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(g) The legal name shall consist of the name of the fruit follo wed by ‘marc 
spirit’. If marc of several different fruits is used, the legal  name shall be 
‘fruit marc spirit’ and may be supplemented by the name of each  fruit in 
decreasing order of the quantity used.  
8. Raisin spirit or  raisin brandy  
(a) Raisin spirit or  raisin brandy  is a spirit drink produced exclusively by 
the distillation of the product obtained by the alcoholic ferme ntation of 
extract of dried grapes of the ‘Corinth Black’ or ‘Moscatel of Alex­
andria’ varieties, distilled at less than 94,5 % vol., so that the distillate 
has an aroma and taste derived from the raw materials used.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of raisin spirit o r raisin 
brandy  shall be 37,5 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Raisin spirit or  raisin brandy  shall not be flavoured.  
(e) Raisin spirit or  raisin brandy  may only contain added caramel as a 
means of adjusting the colour.  
(f) Raisin spirit or  raisin brandy  may be sweetened in order to round off the 
final taste. However, the final product may not contain more th an 
20 grams of sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
9. Fruit spirit  
(a) Fruit spirit is a spirit drink which meets the following re quirements:  
(i) it is produced exclusively by the alcoholic fermentation an d distil­
lation, with or without stones, of fresh and fleshy fruit, incl uding 
bananas, or the must of such fruit, berries or vegetables;  
(ii) each and every distillation shall be carried out at less t han 86 % vol. 
so that the distillate has an aroma and taste derived from the raw 
materials distilled;  
(iii) it has a volatile substances content equal to or exceedin g 200 grams 
per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 44  
(iv) in the case of stone-fruit spirits, it has a hydrocyanic a cid content 
not exceeding 7 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol.  
(b) The maximum methanol content of fruit spirit shall be 1 000  grams per 
hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol, except:  
(i) in the case of fruit spirits produced from the following fr uits or 
berries, and in respect of which the maximum methanol content 
shall be 1 200 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol:  
— apple ( Malus domestica  Borkh.),  
— apricots ( Prunus armeniaca  L.), 
— plum ( Prunus domestica  L.), 
— quetsch ( Prunus domestica  L.), 
— mirabelle ( Prunus domestica  L. subsp.  syriaca  (Borkh.) Janch. 
ex Mansf.),  
— peach ( Prunus persica  (L.) Batsch),  
— pear ( Pyrus communis  L.), except for Williams pears ( Pyrus 
communis  L. cv ‘Williams’),  
— blackberry ( Rubus  sect.  Rubus ), 
— raspberry ( Rubus idaeus  L.). 
(ii) in the case of fruit spirits produced from the following f ruits or 
berries, and in respect of which the maximum methanol content 
shall be 1 350 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol:  
— quince ( Cydonia oblonga  Mill.),  
— juniper berry ( Juniperus communis  L. or  Juniperus oxicedrus  
L.), 
— Williams pear ( Pyrus communis  L. cv ‘Williams’),  
— blackcurrant ( Ribes nigrum  L.), 
— redcurrant ( Ribes rubrum  L.), 
— rosehip ( Rosa canina  L.), 
— elderberry ( Sambucus nigra  L.), 
— rowanberry ( Sorbus aucuparia  L.), 
— sorb apple ( Sorbus domestica  L.), 
— wild service tree ( Sorbus torminalis  (L.) Crantz).  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 45  
(c) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of fruit spirit sh all be 
37,5 %.  
(d) Fruit spirit shall not be coloured.  
(e) Notwithstanding point (d) of this category and by way of de rogation 
from food category 14.2.6 of Part E of Annex II to Regulation ( EC) 
No 1333/2008, caramel may be used to adjust the colour of fruit  spirits 
that have been aged at least one year in contact with wood.  
(f) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(g) Fruit spirit shall not be flavoured.  
(h) Fruit spirit may be sweetened in order to round off the fin al taste. 
However, the final product may not contain more than 18 grams o f 
sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(i) The legal name of fruit spirit shall be ‘spirit’ supplement ed by the name 
of the fruit, berry or vegetable. In the Bulgarian, Czech, Gree k, Croatian, 
Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Slovenian languages, the legal nam e may 
be expressed by the name of the fruit, berry or vegetable, supp lemented 
by a suffix.  
Alternatively:  
(i) the legal name referred to in the first subparagraph may be  ‘wasser ’, 
used together with the name of the fruit; or  
(ii) the following legal names may be used in the following cas es: 
— ‘kirsch ’ for cherry spirit ( Prunus avium  (L.) L.);  
— ‘plum’, ‘quetsch’ or ‘slivovitz’ for plum spirit ( Prunus domestica  
L.); 
— ‘mirabelle’ for mirabelle spirit ( Prunus domestica  L. subsp.  
syriaca  (Borkh.) Janch. ex Mansf.);  
— ‘fruit of arbutus’ for fruit of arbutus spirit ( Arbutus unedo  L.);  
— ‘Golden Delicious’ for apple spirit ( Malus domestica  var. 
‘Golden Delicious’);  
— ‘Obstler ’ for a fruit spirit produced from fruits, with or without 
berries, provided that at least 85 % of the mash is derived fro m 
different varieties of apples, pears or both.  
The name ‘ Williams ’ or ‘williams’ may be used only to place on the 
market pear spirit produced solely from pears of the ‘Williams’  variety.  
If there is a risk that the final consumer does not easily unde rstand one 
of the legal names not containing the word ‘spirit’ referred to  in this 
point, the description, presentation and labelling shall includ e the word 
‘spirit’, which may be supplemented by an explanation.  
(j) Whenever two or more fruits, berries or vegetables are dist illed together, 
the product shall be placed on the market under the legal name:  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 46  
— ‘fruit spirit’ for spirit drinks exclusively produced by dist illation of 
fruits or berries or both; or  
— ‘vegetable spirit’ for spirit drinks exclusively produced by distillation 
of vegetables; or  
— ‘fruit and vegetable spirit’ for spirit drinks produced by di stillation of 
a combination of fruits, berries and vegetables.  
The legal name may be supplemented by that of each fruit, berry  or 
vegetable, in decreasing order of the quantity used.  
10. Cider spirit, perry spirit and cider and perry spirit  
(a) Cider spirit, perry spirit and cider and perry spirit are s pirit drinks which 
meet the following requirements:  
(i) they are produced exclusively by the distillation at less t han 86 % 
vol. of cider or perry so that the distillate has an aroma and taste 
derived from the fruits;  
(ii) they have a volatile substances content equal to or exceed ing 
200 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol;  
(iii) they have a maximum methanol content of 1 000 grams per 
hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of cider spirit, p erry spirit 
and cider and perry spirit shall be 37,5 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Cider spirit, perry spirit and cider and perry spirit shall  not be flavoured. 
This shall not preclude traditional production methods.  
(e) Cider spirit, perry spirit and cider and perry spirit may o nly contain 
added caramel as a means of adjusting the colour.  
(f) Cider spirit, perry spirit and cider and perry spirit may b e sweetened in 
order to round off the final taste. However, the final product may not 
contain more than 15 grams of sweetening products per litre, ex pressed 
as invert sugar.  
(g) The legal name shall be:  
— ‘cider spirit’ for spirit drinks exclusively produced by the distillation 
of cider;  
— ‘perry spirit’ for spirit drinks exclusively produced by the distillation 
of perry; or  
— ‘cider and perry spirit’ for spirit drinks produced by the di stillation of 
cider and perry.  
11. Honey spirit  
(a) Honey spirit is a spirit drink which meets the following re quirements:  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 47  
(i) it is produced exclusively by fermentation and distillation  of honey 
mash;  
(ii) it is distilled at less than 86 % vol. so that the distill ate has the 
organoleptic characteristics derived from the raw materials use d. 
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of honey spirit sh all be 
35 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Honey spirit shall not be flavoured.  
(e) Honey spirit may only contain added caramel as a means of a djusting 
the colour.  
(f) Honey spirit may only be sweetened with honey in order to r ound of the 
final taste. However, the final product may not contain more th an 
20 grams of honey per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
12. Hefebrand  or lees spirit  
(a) Hefebrand  or lees spirit is a spirit drink produced exclusively by the 
distillation at less than 86 % vol. of lees of wine, lees of be er or lees of 
fermented fruit.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  Hefebrand  or lees spirit 
shall be 38 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Hefebrand  or lees spirit shall not be flavoured.  
(e) Hefebrand  or lees spirit may only contain added caramel as a means of 
adjusting the colour.  
(f) Hefebrand  or lees spirit may be sweetened in order to round off the fina l 
taste. However, the final product may not contain more than 20 grams of 
sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(g) The legal name ‘ Hefebrand ’ or ‘lees spirit’ shall be supplemented by the 
name of the raw materials used.  
13. Beer spirit  
(a) Beer spirit is a spirit drink produced exclusively by direc t distillation 
under normal pressure of fresh beer with an alcoholic strength by 
volume of less than 86 %, so that the resulting distillate has organoleptic 
characteristics deriving from the beer.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of beer spirit sha ll be 38 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Beer spirit shall not be flavoured.  
(e) Beer spirit may only contain added caramel as a means of ad justing the 
colour.  
(f) Beer spirit may be sweetened in order to round off the fina l taste. 
However, the final product may not contain more than 20 grams o f 
sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 48  
14. Topinambur  or Jerusalem artichoke spirit  
(a) Topinambur  or Jerusalem artichoke spirit is a spirit drink produced 
exclusively by fermentation and distillation at less than 86 % vol. of 
Jerusalem artichoke tubers ( Helianthus tuberosus  L.). 
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  topinambur  or Jerusalem 
artichoke spirit shall be 38 %.  
(c) No addition of alcohol, diluted or not, shall take place.  
(d) Topinambur  or Jerusalem artichoke spirit shall not be flavoured.  
(e) Topinambur  or Jerusalem artichoke spirit may only contain added 
caramel as a means of adjusting the colour.  
(f) Topinambur  or Jerusalem artichoke spirit may be sweetened in order to 
round off the final taste. However, the final product may not c ontain 
more than 20 grams of sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert 
sugar.  
15. Vodka  
(a) Vodka is a spirit drink produced from ethyl alcohol of agri cultural origin 
obtained following fermentation with yeast of either:  
— potatoes or cereals or both,  
— other agricultural raw materials,  
distilled so that the organoleptic characteristics of the raw m aterials used 
and by-products formed in fermentation are selectively reduced.  
This may be followed by additional distillation or treatment wi th appro­
priate processing aids or both, including treatment with activa ted 
charcoal, to give it special organoleptic characteristics.  
Maximum levels of residue for the ethyl alcohol of agricultural  origin 
used to produce vodka shall meet those levels set out in point (d) of 
Article 5, except that the methanol content shall not exceed 10  grams per 
hectolitre of 100 % vol. alcohol.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of vodka shall be 37,5 %.  
(c) The only flavourings which may be added are natural flavour ing 
substances or flavouring preparations that are present in disti llate 
obtained from the fermented raw materials. In addition, the pro duct 
may be given special organoleptic characteristics, other than a  
predominant flavour.  
(d) Vodka shall not be coloured.  
(e) Vodka may be sweetened in order to round off the final tast e. However, 
the final product may not contain more than 8 grams of sweeteni ng 
products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(f) The description, presentation or labelling of vodka not pro duced 
exclusively from potatoes or cereals or both shall prominently bear the 
indication ‘produced from …’, supplemented by the name of the r aw 
materials used to produce the ethyl alcohol of agricultural ori gin. This 
indication shall appear in the same visual field as the legal n ame. ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 49  
(g) The legal name may be ‘ vodka ’ in any Member State.  
16. Spirit (supplemented by the name of the fruit, berries or nuts) obtained 
by maceration and distillation  
(a) Spirit (supplemented by the name of the fruit, berries or n uts) obtained 
by maceration and distillation is a spirit drink which meets th e following 
requirements:  
(i) it has been produced by:  
— maceration of fruit, berries or nuts listed under point (ii),  whether 
partially fermented or unfermented, with the possible addition of 
a maximum of 20 litres of ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin or 
of a spirit or distillate deriving from the same fruit, berries  or 
nuts, or of a combination thereof, per 100 kg of fermented frui t, 
berries or nuts,  
— followed by distillation; each and every distillation shall b e 
carried out at less than 86 % vol;  
(ii) it is produced from the following fruits, berries or nuts:  
— chokeberry ( Aronia  Medik. nom cons.),  
— black chokeberry ( Aronia melanocarpa  (Michx.) Elliott),  
— chestnut ( Castanea sativa  Mill.),  
— citrus fruits ( Citrus  spp.),  
— hazelnut ( Corylus avellana  L.), 
— crowberry ( Empetrum nigrum  L.), 
— strawberry ( Fragaria  spp.),  
— sea-buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides  L.), 
— hollyberry ( Ilex aquifolium  and Ilex cassine  L.), 
— cornel cherry or cornelian cherry ( Cornus mas ), 
— walnut ( Juglans regia  L.), 
— banana ( Musa  spp.),  
— myrtle ( Myrtus communis  L.), 
— prickly pear ( Opuntia ficus-indica  (L.) Mill.),  
— passion fruit ( Passiflora edulis  Sims),  
— bird cherry ( Prunus padus  L.). 
— sloe ( Prunus spinosa  L.), ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 50  
— blackcurrant ( Ribes nigrum  L.), 
— white currant ( Ribes niveum  Lindl.),  
— redcurrant ( Ribes rubrum  L.), 
— gooseberry ( Ribes uva-crispa  L. syn.  Ribes grossularia ), 
— rosehip ( Rosa canina  L.), 
— arctic bramble ( Rubus arcticus  L.), 
— cloudberry ( Rubus chamaemorus  L.),  
— blackberry ( Rubus  sect.  Rubus ), 
— raspberry ( Rubus idaeus  L.), 
— elderberry ( Sambucus nigra  L.), 
— rowanberry ( Sorbus aucuparia  L.), 
— sorb apple ( Sorbus domestica  L.), 
— wild service tree ( Sorbus torminalis  (L.) Crantz),  
— ambarella ( Spondias dulcis  Parkinson),  
— hog plum ( Spondias mombin  L.), 
— high bush blueberry ( Vaccinium corymbosum  L.), 
— wild cranberry ( Vaccinium oxycoccos  L.), 
— bilberry/blueberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus  L.), 
— cowberry ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea  L.). 
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of a spirit (suppl emented by 
the name of the fruit, berries or nuts) obtained by maceration and distil­
lation shall be 37,5 %.  
(c) Spirit (supplemented by the name of the fruit, berries or n uts) obtained 
by maceration and distillation shall not be flavoured.  
(d) Spirit (supplemented by the name of the fruit, berries or n uts) obtained 
by maceration and distillation shall not be coloured.  
(e) Notwithstanding point (d) and by way of derogation from foo d category 
14.2.6 of Part E of Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, c aramel 
may be used to adjust the colour of spirit (supplemented by the  name of 
the fruit, berries or nuts) obtained by maceration and distilla tion that has 
been aged at least one year in contact with wood.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 51  
(f) Spirit (supplemented by the name of the fruit, berries or n uts) obtained 
by maceration and distillation may be sweetened in order to rou nd off 
the final taste. However, the final product may not contain mor e than 
18 grams of sweetening products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(g) As regards the description, presentation and labelling of s pirit (supple­
mented by the name of the fruit, berries or nuts) obtained by m aceration 
and distillation, the wording ‘obtained by maceration and disti llation’ 
shall appear in the description, presentation or labelling in c haracters 
of the same font, size and colour and in the same visual field as the 
wording ‘spirit (supplemented by the name of the fruit, berries  or nuts)’ 
and, in the case of bottles, on the front label.  
17. Geist  (supplemented by the name of the fruit or the raw materials used)  
(a) Geist  (supplemented by the name of the fruit or the raw materials us ed) 
is a spirit drink produced by maceration of unfermented fruits and berries 
listed in point (a)(ii) of category 16 or vegetables, nuts, oth er plant 
materials, such as herbs or rose petals, or mushrooms in ethyl alcohol 
of agricultural origin, followed by distillation at less than 8 6 % vol.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  Geist  (supplemented by 
the name of the fruit or the raw materials used) shall be 37,5 %. 
(c) Geist  (supplemented by the name of the fruit or the raw materials us ed) 
shall not be flavoured.  
(d) Geist  (supplemented by the name of the fruit or the raw materials us ed) 
shall not be coloured.  
(e) Geist  (supplemented by the name of the fruit or the raw materials us ed) 
may be sweetened in order to round off the final taste. However , the 
final product may not contain more than 10 grams of sweetening 
products per litre, expressed as invert sugar.  
(f) The term ‘- geist ’ preceded by a term other than the name of a fruit, plant 
or other raw material may supplement the legal name of other sp irit 
drinks and alcoholic beverages, provided that such use does not  
mislead the consumer.  
18. Gentian  
(a) Gentian is a spirit drink produced from a distillate of gen tian, itself 
obtained by the fermentation of gentian roots with or without t he 
addition of ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of gentian shall b e 37,5 %.  
(c) Gentian shall not be flavoured.  
19. Juniper-flavoured spirit drink  
(a) A juniper-flavoured spirit drink is a spirit drink produced  by flavouring 
ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin or grain spirit or grain d istillate or a 
combination thereof with juniper ( Juniperus communis  L. or  Juniperus 
oxicedrus  L.) berries.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of a juniper-flavo ured spirit 
drink shall be 30 %.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 52  
(c) Flavouring substances, flavouring preparations, plants with  flavouring 
properties or parts of plants with flavouring properties or a c ombination 
thereof may be used in addition to juniper berries, but the org anoleptic 
characteristics of juniper shall be discernible, even if they a re sometimes 
attenuated.  
(d) A juniper-flavoured spirit drink may bear the legal name ‘ Wacholder ’ or 
‘genebra ’. 
20. Gin  
(a) Gin  is a juniper-flavoured spirit drink produced by flavouring eth yl 
alcohol of agricultural origin with juniper berries ( Juniperus communis  
L.). 
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  gin shall be 37,5 %.  
(c) Only flavouring substances or flavouring preparations or bo th shall be 
used for the production of  gin so that the taste is predominantly that of 
juniper.  
(d) The term ‘ gin’ may be supplemented by the term ‘ dry’ if it does not 
contain added sweetening exceeding 0,1 grams of sweetening prod ucts 
per litre of the final product, expressed as invert sugar.  
21. Distilled  gin 
(a) Distilled  gin is one of the following:  
(i) a juniper-flavoured spirit drink produced exclusively by di stilling 
ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with an initial alcoholic 
strength of at least 96 % vol. in the presence of juniper berri es 
(Juniperus communis  L.) and of other natural botanicals, provided 
that the juniper taste is predominant;  
(ii) the combination of the product of such distillation and et hyl alcohol 
of agricultural origin with the same composition, purity and 
alcoholic strength; flavouring substances or flavouring prepara tions 
as specified in point (c) of category 20 or both may also be us ed to 
flavour distilled  gin. 
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of distilled  gin shall be 
37,5 %.  
(c) Gin  produced simply by adding essences or flavourings to ethyl alc ohol 
of agricultural origin shall not be considered distilled  gin. 
(d) The term ‘distilled  gin’ may be supplemented by or incorporate the term 
‘dry’ if it does not contain added sweetening exceeding 0,1 grams o f 
sweetening products per litre of the final product, expressed a s invert 
sugar.  
22. London gin  
(a) London gin  is distilled  gin which meets the following requirements:  
(i) it is produced exclusively from ethyl alcohol of agricultur al origin, 
with a maximum methanol content of 5 grams per hectolitre of 
100 % vol. alcohol, the flavour of which is imparted exclusivel y 
through the distillation of ethyl alcohol of agricultural origi n in the 
presence of all the natural plant materials used;  
(ii) the resulting distillate contains at least 70 % alcohol by  vol.;  
(iii) any further ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin that is added shall 
comply with the requirements laid down in Article 5 but with a 
maximum methanol content of 5 grams per hectolitre of 100 % vol . 
alcohol;  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 53  
(iv) it is not coloured;  
(v) it is not sweetened in excess of 0,1 grams of sweetening pr oducts 
per litre of the final product, expressed as invert sugar;  
(vi) it does not contain any other ingredients than the ingredi ents 
referred to in points (i), (iii) and (v), and water.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  London gin  shall be 
37,5 %.  
(c) The term ‘ London gin ’ may be supplemented by or incorporate the term 
‘dry’. 
23. Caraway-flavoured spirit drink or  Kümmel  
(a) A caraway-flavoured spirit drink or  Kümmel  is a spirit drink produced by 
flavouring ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with caraway ( Carum 
carvi  L.). 
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of a caraway-flavo ured spirit 
drink or  Kümmel  shall be 30 %.  
(c) Flavouring substances or flavouring preparations or both ma y addi­
tionally be used but there shall be a predominant taste of cara way.  
24. Akvavit  or aquavit  
(a) Akvavit  or aquavit  is a spirit drink flavoured with caraway or dill seeds 
or both, produced by using ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin  flavoured 
with a distillate of plants or spices.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  akvavit  o r aquavit  shall 
be 37,5 %.  
(c) Natural flavouring substances or flavouring preparations or  both may 
additionally be used, but the flavour of these drinks shall be largely 
attributable to distillates of caraway ( Carum carvi  L.) or dill ( Anethum 
graveolens  L.) seeds or both, the use of essential oils being prohibited.  
(d) The bitter substances shall not obviously dominate the tast e; the dry 
extract content shall not exceed 1,5 grams per 100 millilitres.  
25. Aniseed-flavoured spirit drink  
(a) An aniseed-flavoured spirit drink is a spirit drink produce d by flavouring 
ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with natural extracts of s tar anise 
(Illicium verum  Hook f.), anise ( Pimpinella anisum  L.), fennel 
(Foeniculum vulgare  Mill.), or any other plant which contains the 
same principal aromatic constituent, using one of the following  
processes or a combination thereof:  
(i) maceration or distillation or both;  
(ii) distillation of the alcohol in the presence of the seeds o r other parts 
of the plants specified above;  
(iii) addition of natural distilled extracts of aniseed-flavour ed plants.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of an aniseed-flav oured 
spirit drink shall be 15 %.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 54  
(c) An aniseed-flavoured spirit drink may only be flavoured wit h flavouring 
preparations and natural flavouring substances.  
(d) Other natural plant extracts or aromatic seed may also be u sed, but the 
aniseed taste shall remain predominant.  
26. Pastis  
(a) Pastis  is an aniseed-flavoured spirit drink which also contains natur al 
extracts of liquorice root ( Glycyrrhiza  spp.), which implies the presence 
of the colorants known as ‘chalcones’ as well as glycyrrhizic a cid, the 
minimum and maximum levels of which shall be 0,05 and 0,5 grams  per 
litre, respectively.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  pastis  shall be 40 %.  
(c) Pastis  may only be flavoured with flavouring preparations and natural  
flavouring substances.  
(d) Pastis  shall contain less than 100 grams of sweetening products per l itre, 
expressed as invert sugar, and have a minimum and maximum aneth ole 
level of 1,5 and 2 grams per litre, respectively.  
27. Pastis de Marseille  
(a) Pastis de Marseille  is a  pastis  with a pronounced anise taste with an 
anethole content between 1,9 and 2,1 grams per litre.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  pastis de Marseille  shall 
be 45 %.  
(c) Pastis de Marseille  may only be flavoured with flavouring preparations 
and natural flavouring substances.  
28. Anis  or janeževec  
(a) Anis  o r janeževec  is an aniseed-flavoured spirit drink whose char­
acteristic flavour is derived exclusively from anise ( Pimpinella anisum  
L.), star anise ( Illicium verum  Hook f.) or fennel ( Foeniculum vulgare  
Mill.) or a combination of them.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  anis  or janeževec  shall be 
35 %.  
(c) Anis  o r janeževec  may only be flavoured with flavouring preparations 
and natural flavouring substances.  
29. Distilled  anis  
(a) Distilled  anis  i s anis  which contains alcohol distilled in the presence of 
the seeds referred to in point (a) of category 28 and, in the c ase of 
geographical indications, mastic and other aromatic seeds, plan ts or 
fruits, provided such alcohol constitutes at least 20 % of the alcoholic 
strength of the distilled  anis . 
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of distilled  anis  shall be 
35 %.  
(c) Distilled  anis  may only be flavoured with flavouring preparations and 
natural flavouring substances.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 55  
30. Bitter-tasting spirit drink or  bitter  
(a) A bitter-tasting spirit drink or  bitter  is a spirit drink with a predominantly 
bitter taste produced by flavouring ethyl alcohol of agricultur al origin or 
distillate of agricultural origin or both with flavouring subst ances or 
flavouring preparations or both.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of a bitter-tastin g spirit drink 
or bitter  shall be 15 %.  
(c) Without prejudice to the use of such terms in the presentat ion and 
labelling of foodstuffs other than spirit drinks, a bitter-tast ing spirit 
drink or  bitter  may also be placed on the market under the names 
‘bitter’ or ‘ bitter ’ with or without another term.  
(d) Notwithstanding point (c), the term ‘bitter’ or ‘ bitter ’ may be used in the 
description, presentation and labelling of bitter-tasting lique urs. 
31. Flavoured vodka  
(a) Flavoured vodka is vodka which has been given a predominant  flavour 
other than that of the raw materials used to produce the vodka.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of flavoured vodka  shall be 
37,5 %.  
(c) Flavoured vodka may be sweetened, blended, flavoured, matur ed or 
coloured.  
(d) When flavoured vodka is sweetened, the final product shall contain less 
than 100 grams of sweetening products per litre, expressed as i nvert 
sugar.  
(e) The legal name of flavoured vodka may also be the name of a ny 
predominant flavour combined with the word ‘vodka’. The term 
‘vodka’ in any official Union language may be replaced by ‘ vodka ’. 
32. Sloe-aromatised spirit drink or  pacharán  
(a) A sloe-aromatised spirit drink or  pacharán  is a spirit drink which has a 
predominant sloe taste and is produced by the maceration of slo es 
(Prunus spinosa ) in ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, with the 
addition of natural extracts of anise or distillates of anise o r both.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of a sloe-aromatis ed spirit 
drink or  pacharán  shall be 25 %.  
(c) For the production of a sloe-aromatised spirit drink or  pacharán , a 
minimum quantity of 125 grams of sloe fruits per litre of the f inal 
product shall be used.  
(d) A sloe-aromatised spirit drink or  pacharán  shall have a content of 
sweetening products, expressed as invert sugar, between 80 and 
250 grams per litre of the final product.  
(e) The organoleptic characteristics, colour and taste of a slo e-aromatised 
spirit drink or  pacharán  shall be provided exclusively by the fruit used 
and the anise.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 56  
(f) The term ‘ pacharán ’ may be used as a legal name only when the 
product is produced in Spain. When the product is produced outs ide 
Spain, ‘ pacharán ’ may only be used to supplement the legal name 
‘sloe-aromatised spirit drink’, provided that it is accompanied  by the 
words: ‘produced in …’, followed by the name of the Member Stat e 
or third country of production.  
33. Liqueur  
(a) Liqueur is a spirit drink:  
(i) having a minimum content of sweetening products, expressed as 
invert sugar, of:  
— 70 grams per litre for cherry or sour cherry liqueurs, the et hyl 
alcohol of which consists exclusively of cherry or sour cherry 
spirit,  
— 80 grams per litre for liqueurs which are flavoured exclusive ly 
with gentian or a similar plant or wormwood,  
— 100 grams per litre in all other cases;  
(ii) produced using ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin or a d istillate of 
agricultural origin or one or more spirit drinks or a combinati on 
thereof, which has been sweetened and to which one or more 
flavourings, products of agricultural origin or foodstuffs have  been 
added.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of liqueur shall b e 15 %.  
(c) Flavouring substances and flavouring preparations may be us ed in the 
production of liqueur.  
However, the following liqueurs may only be flavoured with flav ouring 
foodstuffs, flavouring preparations and natural flavouring subs tances:  
(i) fruit liqueurs:  
— pineapple ( Ananas ), 
— citrus fruit ( Citrus  L.), 
— sea buckthorn ( Hippophae rhamnoides  L.), 
— mulberry ( Morus alba , Morus rubra ), 
— sour cherry ( Prunus cerasus ), 
— cherry ( Prunus avium ), 
— blackcurrant ( Ribes nigrum  L.), 
— arctic bramble ( Rubus arcticus  L.), 
— cloudberry ( Rubus chamaemorus  L.), ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 57  
— raspberry ( Rubus idaeus  L.), 
— wild cranberry ( Vaccinium oxycoccos  L.), 
— bilberry/blueberry ( Vaccinium myrtillus  L.), 
— cowberry ( Vaccinium vitis-idaea  L.); 
(ii) plant liqueurs:  
— génépi ( Artemisia genepi ), 
— gentian ( Gentiana  L.), 
— mint ( Mentha  L.), 
— aniseed ( Pimpinella anisum  L.), 
(d) The legal name may be ‘ liqueur ’ in any Member State and:  
— for liqueurs produced by maceration of sour cherries or cherr ies 
(Prunus cerasus  o r Prunus avium ) in ethyl alcohol of agricultural 
origin, the legal name may be ‘ guignolet ’ or ‘češnjevec ’, with or 
without the term ‘liqueur’;  
— for liqueurs produced by maceration of sour cherries ( Prunus 
cerasus ) in ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, the legal name may 
be ‘ginja ’ or ‘ ginjinha ’ or ‘ višnjevec ’, with or without the term 
‘liqueur’;  
— for liqueurs for which the alcohol content is provided exclus ively by 
rum, the legal name may be ‘ punch au rhum ’, with or without the 
term ‘liqueur’;  
— without prejudice to point (2) of Article 3, point (b) of Art icle 10(5) 
and Article 11, for liqueurs containing milk or milk products, the 
legal name may be ‘cream’ supplemented by the name of the raw 
material used conferring on the liqueur its predominant flavour , with 
or without the term ‘liqueur’.  
(e) The following compound terms may be used in the description , presen­
tation and labelling of liqueurs produced in the Union, where e thyl 
alcohol of agricultural origin or distillate of agricultural or igin is used 
to mirror established production methods:  
— prune brandy ; 
— orange brandy ; 
— apricot brandy ; 
— cherry brandy ; 
— solbaerrom  or blackcurrant rum.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 58  
As regards the description, presentation and labelling of the l iqueurs 
referred to in this point, the compound term shall appear in on e line 
in uniform characters of the same font and colour and the word ‘liqueur’ 
shall appear in immediate proximity in characters no smaller th an that 
font. If the alcohol does not come from the spirit drink indica ted, its 
origin shall be shown on the label in the same visual field as the 
compound term and the word ‘liqueur’ either by stating the type  of 
agricultural alcohol or by the words ‘agricultural alcohol’ pre ceded on 
each occasion by ‘made from’ or ‘made using’.  
(f) Without prejudice to Articles 11 and 12 and Article 13(4), the legal 
name ‘liqueur’ may be supplemented by the name of a flavouring or 
foodstuff that confers the predominant flavour of the spirit dr ink, 
provided that the flavour is conferred on the spirit drink by f lavouring 
foodstuffs, flavouring preparations and natural flavouring subs tances, 
derived from the raw material referred to in the name of the fl avouring 
or of the foodstuff, supplemented by flavouring substances only  where 
necessary to reinforce the flavour of that raw material.  
34. Crème de (supplemented by the name of a fruit or other raw material 
used)  
(a) Crème de (supplemented by the name of a fruit or other raw material 
used) is a liqueur which has a minimum content of sweetening pr oducts 
of 250 grams per litre expressed as invert sugar.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of crème de (suppl emented 
by the name of a fruit or other raw material used) shall be 15 %. 
(c) The rules on flavouring substances and flavouring preparati ons for 
liqueurs laid down under category 33 shall apply to this spirit  drink.  
▼C2 
(d) The raw materials used shall exclude milk and milk products . 
▼B 
(e) The fruit or any other raw material used in the legal name shall be the 
fruit or the raw material that confers on that spirit drink its  predominant 
flavour.  
(f) The legal name may be supplemented by the term ‘liqueur’.  
(g) The legal name ‘ crème de cassis ’ may only be used for liqueurs 
produced with blackcurrants, which have a content of sweetening  
products of more than 400 grams per litre expressed as invert s ugar.  
35. Sloe gin  
(a) Sloe gin  is a liqueur produced by maceration of sloes in  gin with the 
possible addition of sloe juice.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  sloe gin  shall be 25 %.  
(c) Only natural flavouring substances and flavouring preparati ons may be 
used in the production of  sloe gin . 
(d) The legal name may be supplemented by the term ‘liqueur’.  
36. Sambuca  
(a) Sambuca  is a colourless aniseed-flavoured liqueur which meets the 
following requirements:  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 59  
(i) it contains distillates of anise ( Pimpinella anisum  L.), star anise 
(Illicium verum  L.) or other aromatic herbs;  
(ii) it has a minimum content of sweetening products of 350 gra ms per 
litre expressed as invert sugar;  
(iii) it has a natural anethole content of not less than 1 gram  and not 
more than 2 grams per litre.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  sambuca  shall be 38 %.  
(c) The rules on flavouring substances and flavouring preparati ons for 
liqueurs laid down under category 33 shall apply to  sambuca . 
(d) Sambuca  shall not be coloured.  
(e) The legal name may be supplemented by the term ‘liqueur’.  
37. Maraschino , marrasquino  or maraskino  
(a) Maraschino , marrasquino  o r maraskino  is a colourless liqueur the 
flavour of which is given mainly by a distillate of marasca che rries or 
of the product produced by macerating cherries or parts of cher ries in 
ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin or in a distillate of mara sca cherries, 
with a minimum content of sweetening products of 250 grams per litre 
expressed as invert sugar.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  maraschino , marrasquino  
or maraskino  shall be 24 %.  
(c) The rules on flavouring substances and flavouring preparati ons for 
liqueurs laid down under category 33 shall apply to  maraschino , 
marrasquino  o r maraskino . 
(d) Maraschino , marrasquino  o r maraskino  shall not be coloured.  
(e) The legal name may be supplemented by the term ‘liqueur’.  
38. Nocino  or orehovec  
(a) Nocino  or orehovec  is a liqueur the flavour of which is given mainly by 
maceration, or by maceration and distillation, of whole green w alnuts 
(Juglans regia  L.), with a minimum content of sweetening products of 
100 grams per litre expressed as invert sugar.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  nocino  or orehovec  shall 
be 30 %.  
(c) The rules on flavouring substances and flavouring preparati ons for 
liqueurs laid down under category 33 shall apply to  nocino  or orehovec . 
(d) The legal name may be supplemented by the term ‘liqueur’.  
39. Egg liqueur or  advocaat  or avocat  or advokat  
(a) Egg liqueur or  advocaat  o r avocat  o r advokat  is a liqueur, whether 
flavoured or not, produced from ethyl alcohol of agricultural o rigin, 
distillate of agricultural origin or spirit drink, or a combina tion thereof, 
and the ingredients of which are quality egg yolk, egg white an d sugar 
or honey or both. The minimum sugar or honey content shall be 
150 grams per litre expressed as invert sugar. The minimum cont ent 
of pure egg yolk shall be 140 grams per litre of the final prod uct. 
Any use of eggs from hens belonging to a species other than  Gallus 
gallus  shall be indicated on the label.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 60  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of egg liqueur or  advocaat  
or avocat  o r advokat  shall be 14 %.  
(c) Only flavouring foodstuffs, flavouring substances and flavo uring prep­
arations may be used in the production of egg liqueur or  advocaat  o r 
avocat  o r advokat . 
▼C2 
(d) Milk and milk products may be used in the production of egg  liqueur or  
advocaat  o r avocat  o r advokat . 
▼B 
40. Liqueur with egg  
(a) Liqueur with egg is a liqueur, whether flavoured or not, pr oduced from 
ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, distillate of agricultura l origin or 
spirit drink, or a combination thereof, the characteristic ingr edients of 
which are quality egg yolk, egg white and sugar or honey or bot h. The 
minimum sugar or honey content shall be 150 grams per litre exp ressed 
as invert sugar. The minimum egg yolk content shall be 70 grams  per 
litre of the final product.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of liqueur with eg g shall be 
15 %.  
(c) Only flavouring foodstuffs, natural flavouring substances a nd flavouring 
preparations may be used in the production of liqueur with egg.  
▼C2 
(d) Milk and milk products may be used in the production of liq ueur with 
egg. 
▼B 
41. Mistrà  
(a) Mistrà  is a colourless spirit drink flavoured with aniseed or natural  
anethole which meets the following requirements:  
(i) it has an anethole content of not less than 1 gram and not more than 
2 grams per litre;  
(ii) it may also contain a distillate of aromatic herbs;  
(iii) it has not been sweetened.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  mistrà  shall be 40 % and 
the maximum alcoholic strength by volume shall be 47 %.  
(c) Mistrà  may only be flavoured with flavouring preparations and natural  
flavouring substances.  
(d) Mistrà  shall not be coloured.  
42. Väkevä glögi  or spritglögg  
(a) Väkevä glögi  or spritglögg  is a spirit drink produced by flavouring wine 
or wine products and ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin with the flavour 
of cloves or cinnamon or both, using one of the following proce sses or a 
combination thereof:  
(i) maceration or distillation,  
(ii) distillation of the alcohol in the presence of parts of th e plants 
specified above,  
(iii) addition of natural flavouring substances of cloves or ci nnamon.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 61  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  väkevä glögi  o r 
spritglögg  shall be 15 %.  
(c) Väkevä glögi  o r spritglögg  may only be flavoured with flavouring 
substances, flavouring preparations or other flavourings but th e flavour 
of the spices specified in point (a) shall be predominant.  
(d) The content of wine or wine products shall not exceed 50 % of the final 
product.  
43. Berenburg  or Beerenburg  
(a) Berenburg  o r Beerenburg  is a spirit drink which meets the following 
requirements:  
(i) it is produced using ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin;  
(ii) it is produced by the maceration of fruit or plants or par ts thereof;  
(iii) it contains as a specific flavour distillate of gentian r oot ( Gentiana 
lutea  L.), of juniper berries ( Juniperus communis  L.) and of laurel 
leaves ( Laurus nobilis  L.);  
(iv) it varies in colour from light to dark brown;  
(v) it may be sweetened to a maximum of 20 grams of sweetening 
products per litre expressed as invert sugar.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  Berenburg  or Beerenburg  
shall be 30 %.  
(c) Berenburg  o r Beerenburg  may only be flavoured with flavouring prep­
arations and natural flavouring substances.  
44. Honey nectar or mead nectar  
(a) Honey nectar or mead nectar is a spirit drink produced by f lavouring a 
mixture of fermented honey mash and honey distillate or ethyl a lcohol of 
agricultural origin or both, which contains at least 30 % vol. of 
fermented honey mash.  
(b) The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of honey nectar or  mead 
nectar shall be 22 %.  
(c) Honey nectar or mead nectar may only be flavoured with flav ouring 
preparations and natural flavouring substances, provided that t he honey 
taste is predominant.  
(d) Honey nectar or mead nectar may only be sweetened with hone y. ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 62  
ANNEX II  
SPECIFIC RULES CONCERNING CERTAIN SPIRIT DRINKS  
1. Rum-Verschnitt  is produced in Germany and obtained by mixing rum and 
ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, in such a manner that a m inimum 
proportion of 5 % of the alcohol contained in the final product  shall come 
from rum. The minimum alcoholic strength by volume of  Rum-Verschnitt  
shall be 37,5 %. The word ‘ Verschnitt ’ shall appear in the description, pres­
entation and labelling in characters of the same font, size and  colour as, and 
on the same line as, the word ‘ Rum’ and, in the case of bottles, on the front 
label. The legal name of this product shall be ‘spirit drink’. Where  Rum- 
Verschnitt  is placed on the market outside Germany, its alcoholic composi tion 
shall appear on the label.  
2. Slivovice  is produced in Czechia and obtained by the addition to the plu m 
distillate, before the final distillation, of ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin, in 
such a manner that a minimum proportion of 70 % of the alcohol contained in 
the final product shall come from plum distillate. The legal na me of this 
product shall be ‘spirit drink’. The name ‘ slivovice ’ may be added if it 
appears in the same visual field on the front label. If  slivovice  is placed on 
the market outside Czechia, its alcoholic composition shall app ear on the 
label. This provision shall be without prejudice to the use of the legal 
names for fruit spirits in category 9 of Annex I.  
3. Guignolet Kirsch  is produced in France and obtained by mixing  guignolet  and 
kirsch , in such a manner that a minimum proportion of 3 % of the tota l pure 
alcohol contained in the final product shall come from  kirsch . The word 
‘guignolet ’ shall appear in the description, presentation and labelling i n 
characters of the same font, size and colour as, and on the sam e line as, 
the word ‘ kirsch ’ and, in case of bottles, on the front label. The legal name 
of this product shall be ‘liqueur’. Its alcoholic composition s hall indicate the 
percentage by volume of pure alcohol that  guignolet  and kirsch  represent in 
the total pure alcohol content by volume of  guignolet kirsch . ▼B
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ANNEX III  
DYNAMIC OR ‘ CRIADERAS Y SOLERA ’ OR ‘ SOLERA E CRIADERAS ’ 
AGEING SYSTEM  
The dynamic or ‘ criaderas y solera ’ or ‘ solera e criaderas ’ ageing system 
consists in the execution of periodical extractions of a portio n of the  brandy  
contained in each of the oak casks and containers that form an ageing scale and 
the corresponding replenishments with  brandy  extracted from the preceding 
ageing scale.  
Definitions  
‘Ageing scale’ means each group of oak casks and containers wit h the same level 
of maturation, through which the  brandy  progresses in the course of its ageing 
process. Each scale is known as ‘ criadera ’, except the last one, previous to the 
expedition of the  brandy , known as the ‘ solera ’. 
‘Extraction’ means the partial volume of  brandy  drawn from each oak cask and 
container in an ageing scale, for its incorporation into the oa k casks and 
containers in the next ageing scale or, in the case of the  solera , for its shipping.  
‘Replenishment’ means the volume of  brandy  from the oak casks and containers 
of a given ageing scale that is incorporated into and blended w ith the content of 
the oak casks and containers of the following scale in terms of  age.  
‘Average age’ means the period of time corresponding to the rot ation of the total 
stock of  brandy  that is undergoing the ageing process, calculated by dividing the 
total volume of  brandy  contained in all the ageing scales by the volume of the 
extractions made from the last scale – the  solera  – in one year.  
The average age of the  brandy  drawn from the  solera  shall be calculated using 
the following formula: t = Vt/Ve, in which:  
— t is the average age, expressed in years;  
— Vt is the total volume of stocks in the ageing system, expres sed in litres of 
pure alcohol;  
— Ve is the total volume of product extracted for shipping duri ng a year, 
expressed in litres of pure alcohol.  
In the case of oak casks and containers of less than 1 000 litr es, the number of 
annual extractions and replenishments shall be equal to or lowe r than twice the 
number of scales in the system, in order to guarantee that the youngest 
component has an age equal to or higher than six months.  
In the case of oak casks and containers of 1 000 litres or more , the number of 
annual extractions and replenishments shall be equal to or lowe r than the number 
of scales in the system, in order to guarantee that the younges t component has an 
age equal to or higher than one year.  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 64  
ANNEX IV  
Correlation table  
This Regulation  Regulation (EC) No 110/2008  
Article 1(1) and (2)  Article 1(1) and (2)  
Article 2, points (a) to (d)  Article 2(1) and (3)  
Article 2, point (e)  Article 2(2)  
Article 2, point (f)  Annex I, point 6  
Article 3(1)  Article 8  
Article 3(2) and (3)  Article 10  
Article 3(4)  Article 15(1)  
Article 3(5)  —  
Article 3(6)  —  
Article 3(7)  Article 15(3), third subparagraph  
Article 3(8)  —  
Article 3(9) and (10)  Article 11(2) and Annex I, point 4  
Article 3(11) and (12)  Annex I, point (7)  
Article 4(1)  Article 7 and Annex I, point (14)  
Article 4(2)  Article 7 and Annex I, point (15)  
Article 4(3)  Article 7 and Annex I, point (16)  
Article 4(4)  —  
Article 4(5)  Annex I, point (17)  
Article 4(6)  —  
Article 4(7)  Annex I, point (2)  
Article 4(8)  Annex I, point (3)  
Article 4(9)  Annex I, point (3)  
Article 4(10)  Annex I, point (5)  
Article 4(11)  Annex I, point (8)  
Article 4(12)  Annex I, point (9)  
Article 4(13)  —  
Article 4(14)  —  
Article 4(15)  —  
Article 4(16)  —  
Article 4(17)  —  
Article 4(18)  —  
Article 4(19) and (20)  Annex I, point (10)  
Article 4(21)  —  
Article 4(22)  —  
Article 4(23)  Annex I, point (11)  
Article 4(24)  Annex I, point (12)  
Article 5  Annex I, point (1)  ▼B
 02019R0787 — EN — 25.05.2021 — 001.003 — 65  
This Regulation  Regulation (EC) No 110/2008  
Article 6(1)  Article 3(1)  
Article 6(2)  Article 3(3)  
Article 6(3)  Article 3(4)  
Article 7(1)  Article 4  
Article 7(2)  Article 5(1)  
Article 7(3)  Article 5(2)  
Article 7(4)  Article 5(3)  
Article 8(1)  Article 26  
Article 8(2)  Article 1(3)  
Article 8(3)  —  
Article 8(4)  —  
Article 9  —  
Article 10(1)  —  
Article 10(2)  Article 9(1)  
Article 10(3)  Article 9(2)  
Article 10(4)  Article 9(3)  
Article 10(5)  Article 9(5) and (6)  
Article 10(6), points (a) to (c), (e) and (f)  —  
Article 10(6)(d)  Article 12(2)  
Article 10(7), first subparagraph  Article 9(4) and (7)  
Article 10(7), second subparagraph  —  
Article 11(1)  Article 10(1) and (2)  
Article 11(2) and (3)  —  
Article 12(1)  Article 10(1)  
Article 12(2),(3) and (4)  —  
Article 13(1)  Article 12(1)  
Article 13(2)  Article 9(9)  
Article 13(3), first and second subparagraph  Article 11(4)  
Article 13(3), third subparagraph  Article 11(5)  
Article 13(3), fourth subparagraph  —  
Article 13(4), first subparagraph  Article 11(3)  
Article 13(4), second subparagraph  Article 11(4)  
Article 13(4), third subparagraph  Article 11(5)  
Article 13(5)  —  
Article 13(6)  Article 12(3)  
Article 13(7)  —  
Article 14(1)  Annex I, point (13)  
Article 14(2)  —  
Article 15(1)  Article 14(2)  ▼B
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This Regulation  Regulation (EC) No 110/2008  
Article 15(2)  —  
Article 16  —  
Article 17  Article 13  
Article 18  —  
Article 19(1)  Article 12(3)  
Article 19(2)  —  
Article 20, point (a)  —  
Article 20, point (b)  Article 28(2)  
Article 20, point (c)  —  
Article 20, point (d)  —  
Article 21(1)  —  
Article 21(2)  Article 16  
Article 21(3)  Article 15(3), first subparagraph  
Article 21(4)  —  
Article 22(1), first subparagraph  Article 17(4)  
Article 22(1), second subparagraph  —  
Article 22(2)  —  
Article 23(1), introductory wording and points (a), (b) 
and (c)  — 
Article 23(1), second subparagraph  Article 17(3)  
Article 23(2)  Article 17(1), second sentence  
Article 24(1) to (4)  —  
Article 24(5), (6) and (7)  Article 17(2)  
Article 24(8)  Article 17(3)  
Article 24(9)  Article 17(1), first sentence  
Article 25  —  
Article 26(1), first subparagraph  Article 17(5)  
Article 26(1), second subparagraph  —  
Article 26(2)  Article 17(6)  
Article 27(1)  Article 17(7), first sentence  
Article 27(2), (3) and (4)  —  
Article 27(5)  Article 17(7), second sentence  
Article 28  —  
Article 29  —  
Article 30(1), (2) and (3)  Article 17(8), first sentence  
Article 30(4), first subparagraph  Article 17(8), second sentence  
Article 30(4), second subparagraph  —  
Article 31  Article 21  
Article 32  Article 18  ▼B
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This Regulation  Regulation (EC) No 110/2008  
Article 33(1)  Article 15(2)  
Article 33(2) and (3)  —  
Article 34(1), (2) and (3)  Article 19  
Article 34(4)  —  
Article 35(1), first subparagraph  Article 15(3), second subparagraph  
Article 35(1), second subparagraph  —  
Article 35(2)  Article 23(3)  
Article 35(3)  —  
Article 36(1)  Article 23(1)  
Article 36(2)  Article 23(2)  
Article 37  —  
Article 38(1)  —  
Article 38(2)  Article 22(1)  
Article 38(3)  Article 22(2)  
Article 38(4)  —  
Article 38(5)  Article 22(3)  
Article 38(6)  Article 22(4)  
Article 39(1)  —  
Article 39(2) and (3)  —  
Article 40  —  
Article 41  —  
Article 42  —  
Article 43(1)  Article 24(1)  
Article 43(2)  Article 24(3)  
Article 44(1)  Article 24(2)  
Article 44(2)  —  
Article 45  Article 6  
Article 46  —  
Article 47  Article 25  
Article 48  —  
Article 49  Article 29  
Article 50  Article 28  
Article 51  Article 30  
Annex I, categories 1 to 31  Annex II, categories 1 to 31  
Annex I, category 32  Annex II, category 37a  ▼B
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This Regulation  Regulation (EC) No 110/2008  
Annex I, category 33  Annex II, category 32  
Annex I, category 34  Annex II, category 33  
Annex I, category 35  Annex II, category 37  
Annex I, category 36  Annex II, category 38  
Annex I, category 37  Annex II, category 39  
Annex I, category 38  Annex II, category 40  
Annex I, category 39  Annex II, category 41  
Annex I, category 40  Annex II, category 42  
Annex I, category 41  Annex II, category 43  
Annex I, category 42  Annex II, category 44  
Annex I, category 43  Annex II, category 45  
Annex I, category 44  Annex II, category 46  
Annex II  Annex II, part under the Title ‘Other spirit drinks’  
Annex III  —  
Annex IV  —  ▼B