EN
C 78/20
Official Journal of the European Union
18.2.2022
NB: For instance, a rum containing sweetening products in excess to the allowed threshold of 20 grams per litre, which is thus no longer a rum but must bear the legal name ‘spirit drink’, may not display the compound term ‘sugar rum’ or ‘cane sugar rum’.
If other foodstuffs not allowed under category 1 of Annex I are added, the term rum may appear in a compound term such as ‘rum & spices’.
If not, the resulting product will have to be labelled as e.g. ‘spirit drink with cane sugar’ (to indicate that sugar was added to it) or ‘cane sugar spirit drink’ (to indicate that sugar was distilled to produce the spirit drink that, however, does not comply with other production requirements for rum).
#22 – Examples of compound terms:
1) Brandy & alcohol
or
Cognac and Alcohol
2) Whisky based spirit
or
Scotch Whisky Spirit
3) Drink based on Rum
or
Ron de Guatemala Drink
4) Cane sugar Rum
or
Cuba rum and sugar
5) Liqueur spirit drink
or
Irish Cream Spirit Drink
6) Gin water
or
Genever Water
According to Article 10(6), point (c), a compound term may only supplement the legal name of a spirit drink.
Therefore, a compound term cannot be used as a legal name for a spirit drink.
The only exception to this rule is represented by compound terms that include the term ‘liqueur’ or ‘cream’, which, according to Article 10(5), point (b), may replace the legal name provided that the resulting beverage complies with the relevant requirements laid down in the spirit drink category 33 ‘liqueur’ of Annex I. #23 - Examples of permitted compound terms that include the term ‘liqueur’ or ‘cream’ :
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6)
Vodka liqueur (EN) Wodkalikör – Likör aus/mit Wodka (DE) Liqueur à la vodka (FR) Liquore alla vodka (IT) Licor de vodka (ES) Likier na bazie wódki (PL)
— — — — — —
Irish Whiskey Cream (EN) Berliner Kümmelcream (DE) Crème de Cognac (FR) Crema di Grappa (IT) Crema de Orujo de Galicia (ES) Krem na bazie Polskiej Wódki (PL)
In all the cases listed above, the following must be complied with: a) the spirit drink referred to must be authentic, e.g. it must comply with the requirements laid down by the respective spirit drink category or GI, including its minimum alcoholic strength -> i.e. no dilution with water reducing it below the minimum provided; and b) the alcohol used in its production originates exclusively from the spirit drink referred to in the compound term (except for the alcohol that may be present in flavourings, colours or other authorised ingredients used for the production of that beverage) -> i.e. no addition of other spirit drinks or ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin or distillates of agricultural origin of any sort; and c) the requirements laid down in category 33 of Annex I for the use of the legal name ’liqueur‘ (i.e. a minimum alcoholic strength of 15% by volume and a minimum content of sweetening product of 100 grams per litre) or ’cream‘ (i.e. all of the above + use of milk or milk products).
2.2.
Conditions of use Article 11(1) provides for the following conditions of use of a spirit drink name (category or GI) in a compound term: ‘(a) the alcohol used in the production of the alcoholic beverage originates exclusively from the spirit drink referred to in the compound 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