Regulation (EU) 2019/787 of the European Parliament and of the CouncilShow full title

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, presentation 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 category of spirit drinks set out in Annex I shall use the name of that category as their legal name, unless that category permits the use of another legal name.

3. A spirit drink that does not comply with the requirements laid down for any of the categories of spirit drinks set out in Annex 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 legal name of a spirit drink may be:

(a) supplemented or replaced by a geographical indication referred to in Chapter III. In this case, the geographical indication may be supplemented further by any term permitted by the relevant product specification, provided that this does not mislead the consumer; and

(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 supplemented by:

(a) a name or geographical reference provided for in the laws, regulations and administrative provisions applicable in the Member State in which the spirit drink is placed on the market, provided that this does not mislead the consumer;

(b) a customary name as defined in point (o) of Article 2(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, provided that this does not mislead the consumer;

(c) a compound term or an allusion in accordance with Articles 11 and 12;

(d) the term ‘blend’, ‘blending’ or ‘blended’, provided that the spirit drink has undergone blending;

(e) the term ‘mixture’, ‘mixed’ or ‘mixed spirit drink’, provided 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 derogation 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.

7. Without prejudice to Articles 11 and 12 and Article 13(2), (3) and (4), the use of the legal names referred to in paragraph 2 of this Article or geographical indications in the description, presentation or labelling of any beverage not complying with the requirements of the relevant category set out in Annex I or of the relevant geographical indication shall be prohibited. That prohibition shall also apply where such legal names or geographical indications are used in conjunction with words or phrases such as ‘like’, ‘type’, ‘style’, ‘made’, ‘flavour’ or any other similar terms.

Without prejudice to Article 12(1), flavourings that imitate a spirit drink or their use in the production of a foodstuff other than a beverage may bear, in their presentation and labelling, references to the legal 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 such flavourings.