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Food and Drug Regulations (C.R.C., c. 870)

Regulations are current to 2025-01-22 and last amended on 2024-12-18. Previous Versions

PART BFoods (continued)

DIVISION 2Alcoholic Beverages

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 23]

 In this Division,

absolute alcohol

absolute alcohol[Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 24]

age

age means the period during which an alcoholic beverage is kept under such conditions of storage as may be necessary to develop its characteristic flavour and bouquet; (âge)

alcohol

alcohol means ethyl alcohol; (alcool)

flavouring

flavouring means, in respect of a spirit, any other spirit or wine, domestic or imported, added as a flavouring to that spirit as authorized under the Excise Act; (substance aromatique)

grain spirit

grain spirit[Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 24]

malt spirit

malt spirit[Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 24]

molasses spirit

molasses spirit[Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 24]

small wood

small wood means wood casks or barrels of not greater than 700 L capacity. (petit fût)

sweetening agent

sweetening agent[Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 24]

 If an alcoholic beverage contains 1.1% or more alcohol by volume, the percentage by volume of alcohol present in the alcoholic beverage shall be shown on the principal display panel

  • (a) followed by the words “alcohol by volume” or the abbreviation “alc./vol.” or “alc/vol”; or

  • (b) preceded by the abbreviation “alc.” or “alc” and followed by the abbreviation “vol.” or “vol”.

  • SOR/88-418, s. 1
  • SOR/93-145, s. 5(F)
  • SOR/2014-9, s. 1
  •  (1) No person shall sell flavoured purified alcohol in a container with a capacity of 1,000 mL or less unless it contains 25.6 mL or less of alcohol.

  • (2) Subsection (1) does not apply to flavoured purified alcohol that is sold in a glass container with a capacity of at least 750 mL.

  • (3) For the purposes of this section, flavoured purified alcohol means an alcoholic beverage

    • (a) that is obtained from an alcohol base that has been purified during the course of manufacture through a process other than distillation and from which most of the naturally occurring substances other than alcohol and water have been removed; and

    • (b) to which has been added during the course of manufacture any substance or mixture of substances that imparts flavour.

Whisky

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 25]

 [Repealed, SOR/93-145, s. 7]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 25]

 [Repealed, SOR/93-145, s. 9]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 25]

 No person shall blend or modify Scotch whisky that is imported in bulk for the purpose of bottling and sale in Canada as Scotch whisky except by

  • (a) blending with other Scotch whisky,

  • (b) the addition of distilled or otherwise purified water to adjust to a required strength, or

  • (c) the addition of caramel.

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 27]

 No person shall blend or modify Irish whisky that is imported in bulk for the purpose of bottling and sale in Canada as Irish whisky except by

  • (a) blending with other Irish whisky,

  • (b) the addition of distilled or otherwise purified water to adjust to a required strength, or

  • (c) the addition of caramel.

  •   (1) [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 29]

  • (2) Subject to subsection (3), no person shall make any claim with respect to the age of Canadian whisky, other than for the period during which the whisky has been held in small wood.

  • (3) Where Canadian whisky has been aged in small wood for a period of at least three years, any period not exceeding six months during which that whisky was held in other containers may be claimed as age.

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 30]

 No person shall modify Bourbon whisky that is imported for the purpose of bottling and sale in Canada as Bourbon whisky except by the addition of distilled or otherwise purified water to adjust the Bourbon whisky to a required strength.

 No person shall modify Tennessee whisky that is imported for the purpose of bottling and sale in Canada as Tennessee whisky except by the addition of distilled or otherwise purified water to adjust the Tennessee whisky to a required strength.

  •  (1) No person shall sell whisky for consumption in Canada, other than Bourbon whisky or Tennessee whisky, unless it has been aged for at least three years in small wood.

  • (2) Nothing in subsection (1) applies in respect of flavouring contained in whisky, but no person shall sell for consumption in Canada whisky containing any flavouring, other than wine, that has not been aged for a period of at least two years in small wood.

Rum

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 32]

  •  (1) No person shall sell rum for consumption in Canada unless it has been aged for at least one year in small wood.

  • (2) Nothing in subsection (1) applies in respect of flavouring contained in rum, but no person shall sell for consumption in Canada rum containing any flavouring, other than wine, that has not been aged for a period of at least one year in small wood.

 [Repealed, SOR/93-145, s. 14]

 [Repealed, SOR/2012-292, s. 2]

 [Repealed, SOR/2012-292, s. 2]

Gin

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 34]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 34]

 [Repealed, SOR/93-145, s. 15]

 No person shall make any claim for age for gin but gin that has been held in suitable containers may bear a label declaration to that effect.

Brandy

[
  • SOR/2024-244, s. 36(F)
]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 37]

 No person shall blend or modify brandy that is imported in bulk for the purpose of bottling and sale in Canada as imported brandy, except by

  • (a) blending with other imported brandy;

  • (b) the addition of caramel; and

  • (c) the addition of distilled or otherwise purified water to adjust the brandy to a required strength.

 Where brandy is wholly distilled in a country other than Canada, the label shall indicate the country of origin.

  • SOR/84-300, s. 13(F)
  • SOR/93-145, s. 16
  •  (1) No person shall sell brandy unless it has been aged for at least one year in wooden containers or at least six months in small wood.

  • (2) Nothing in subsection (1) applies in respect of flavouring contained in brandy, but no person shall sell brandy containing any flavouring, other than wine, that has not been aged for a period of at least one year in wooden containers or at least six months in small wood.

  • (3) Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply in respect of Armagnac brandy, Cognac brandy or any other brandy that complies with the standards set out in sections 2.4.2 to 2.4.7 of Volume 2 of the Food Compositional Standards Document.

  • (4) No person shall make any claim with respect to the age of brandy other than for the period during which the brandy has been held in wooden containers or in small wood.

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 40]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 40]

Tequila

 No person shall modify Tequila that is imported for the purpose of bottling and sale in Canada as Tequila except by the addition of distilled or otherwise purified water to adjust the Tequila to a required strength.

Mezcal

 No person shall modify Mezcal that is imported for the purpose of bottling and sale in Canada as Mezcal except by the addition of distilled or otherwise purified water to adjust the Mezcal to a required strength.

Wine

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 43]

 No person shall sell wine unless it has an amount of volatile acidity, expressed as acetic acid, that is equal to or less than that set out in column 3 for that item of the Table of Chemical, Physical and Nutritional Characteristics of Food, as determined by the corresponding method set out in column 4.

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 43]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 43]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 43]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 43]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 43]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 43]

 [Repealed, SOR/2024-244, s. 43]

 A clear indication of the country of origin shall be shown on the principal display panel of a wine.

  • SOR/84-300, s. 16(E)
 

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