Industry Circular

Number: 63-11
Date: June 28, 1963

Office of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division

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AMENDMENTS TO FORM 1649, APPLICATION FOR AND CERTIFICATE OF LABEL APPROVAL UNDER THE FEDERAL ALCOHOL ADMINISTRATION ACT.

Importers and Bottlers of Distilled Spirits and Wines, and others concerned:

Purpose. The purpose of this Circular is to inform importers and bottlers of distilled spirits and wines that Form 1649, Application For and Certificate of Label Approval under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act, has been amended in the following respects:

1. To authorize a change in the stated proof on labels for all classes and types of distilled spirits without the necessity of resubmitting such labels for approval.

2. To extend to importers and bottlers of imported wine the same privilege enjoyed by bottlers of domestic wine of obtaining a single certificate of label approval to authorize the importation and bottling of a variety of types of foreign wines (within the same taxable grade) where the only change on the label is in the wine-type designation.

Background. Heretofore a change in the statement of proof on labels of distilled spirits other than those listed in Section II Item (e) (for which minimum proof standards were established) necessi- tated the resubmission of the labels for approval. It has been found that no useful purpose is achieved through this restriction.

Item E of the Instructions on Form 1649 relieved domestic wine bottlers from having to obtain separate certificates of label approval for each type of wine when the labels for other types were identical except for type designations. It appears that this procedure is adaptable to foreign wines imported in the bottle or bottled after importation in bulk. Therefore, the Instruction E on Form 1649 was amended to be equally applicable to domestic and imported wine labels.

Conclusion. Proprietors of distilled spirits plants, and importers or bottlers of foreign wine, are advised that it will not be necessary to resubmit their labels for approval on the amended