I Made This from Scratch
The era was not too dissimilar from the current one, in which a group of distillers set about protecting the images and their brands through regulations to create a certain designation on their label. Just as a valiant group...
Defending Yourself from Trademark Infringement
What should you do when someone accuses you of “trademark infringement,” often in a certified letter written by a lawyer? This article contains some suggestions on how to handle the situation.
What is Trademark Infringement?
Trademark infringement occurs when consumers are...
What the Bottled in Bond Act of 1897 Means Today
“Bottled in bond” is a phrase coined more than 100 years ago in the whiskey business to assure the purchaser that he was buying the real deal. Prior to Prohibition, counterfeit whiskey flooded the unregulated market, at best swindling...
A Law of Unintended Consequences
When it comes to the law of unintended consequences, there is now the case of a law, originally intended to encourage the use of Michigan farm products within the state’s distilleries and brewpubs, unexpectedly transforming the Wolverine State into...
Reading the label — The Basics
Product labels are among the many critical items in the distillery start-up process, and they are just as important in the growth of the distiller’s product line in the marketplace. Whether simple and direct, or complex and wordy, the...
Rum: The Once and Future King
Marauding pirates and salty nautical adventures on the high seas, the horrors of slavery and triangular trade — these are some of the all-too-common modern day associations with the spirit of rum. But long before rum was relegated to...
Ambiguities in the Legal Definition and Interpretation of Rum
Originally published with the article
Rum: The Once and Future King
Although the United States Government Standards of Identity appear to give a broad interpretation as to what kind of sugar cane or sugar cane derivative spirits can be called “rum,”...
NABCA, DISCUS, and the Future of Craft Distilling
There are many ways in which one can tell an enterprise has begun to succeed. Being invited to address the Board of Directors of NABCA, the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association, is one recognizable sign that Craft Distilling is...
Insuring Your Distillery
There is nothing exciting about business insurance but it is crucial in protecting your interests. As you may have discovered, the property and casualty insurance community has shown reluctance to take on the risks associated with the distilling industry....
