Spirits e-labels and the 2019 commitment
EU law doesn’t require an ingredient list on spirits, but the sector committed to energy on the label and ingredients online. What that means for a small distillery.
What the law says
Under the EU regulation on food information, drinks above 1.2 % alcohol don’t have to show a list of ingredients or a nutrition declaration. Wine has been the exception since 2023; spirits are not. At the time of writing, no EU law requires them on spirits.
Allergens are different. If a spirit or liqueur contains an allergen, such as milk, egg or nuts, the label must say so.
The 2019 commitment
In June 2019 the European spirits sector signed a memorandum of understanding with the European Commission present: energy value on the label, ingredients and nutrition online. The sector aimed for two thirds of the bottles on the EU market to show energy on the label by the end of 2022.
The commitment is voluntary. Large brands built it into their labels. Many small distilleries haven’t yet, often because a web page per product is one more thing to keep up to date.
Energy only is allowed
For drinks above 1.2 % alcohol, a voluntary nutrition declaration may be limited to the energy value. That’s what most spirits labels show: energy per 100 ml.
What a code adds
Ingredients and energy online, as the commitment asks, with headings in the shopper’s language.
The checkout: the same code carries your GTIN.
Recalls per lot, without touching the other batches.
Your own product page: the no-marketing rule for wine e-labels doesn’t apply to spirits.
If the rules change
The EU has discussed mandatory ingredient and nutrition labelling for all alcoholic drinks. If that comes, a code is the easy part: you change the page behind it, not the print.
Sources
This guide is a summary to help you find your way. It is not legal advice.
Put it into practice
Backlabel turns your label into one GS1 QR code: e-label, checkout and recalls.