US craft spirits trade body creates code of ethics

Amid concerns some spirits marketed as “small-batch” may be deceiving consumers, the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA) has created a code of ethics.

The American Craft Spirits Association has created a code of ethics for its members

Under the leadership of Chicago-based Few Spirits founder Paul Hletko, the ethics committee of the ACSA, previously called the American Craft Distillers Association (ACDA), launched what is thought to be the first ever code of ethics for craft spirits producers.

All members of the ACSA are now required to sign the code, which ACSA president Tom Mooney claims “allows for reasonable interpretation as people and times change”.

The code states: “We operate in an honest, transparent and non-deceptive fashion. We inform consumers truthfully and accurately about the sources and methods used to make our spirits through our labels, materials and communications. We expect fair dealing and respect amongst members.  We obey all federal, state, and local laws.”

The creation of this code follows recent calls for consumers who have purchased whiskeys marketed as “small-batch” to take legal action against brands they believe to be misleading or falsely advertised.

A number of brands, including Templeton Rye and Diageo’s Bulleit Rye, although have not been found to have committed an illegal act, have been identified by Consumer Class Actions as brands which have been investigated by attorneys.

Just this week, Templeton Rye announced it would be changing its labels to clarify that the spirit is distilled at a large distillery in Indiana, not Templeton and also show that it does not use a Prohibition era recipe, as has been previously stated.

ACSA executive director Penn Jensen said the new code creates a “statement of faith upon which the consumer can rely: what’s in the bottle is what the distiller says is in the bottle.”

He added: “If the source spirit for a gin came from a mass producer of grain alcohol, the distiller so states and then can build the story around the aromatic herbals used, the refinements to head and tail cuts, and other elements that make the product unique.

“The consumer will appreciate this, knowing that any product from an ACSA member will inherently promise a covenant of honesty. It’s the consumer who over the long haul will determine a brand’s fate. Ethics and honesty will play a large role in that.”

The ADCA changed its title at a board meeting in March this year in order to offer membership to blenders and producers who re-distill and contract other distillers.