Organic

[jlevac]

I'm having issues finding what makes a spirit organic certified. Organic grain is easy to find but when you ad yeast and enzymes that are not certified organic, cam you still get your product certified organic?

[Greenfield]

I have no idea but would also be interested in an answer

[travellers]

Check out catoctin creek distillery in purceville, va. They are certified organic and kosher, if I recall they have been operating that way since about 2008 or 2009.

[kckadi]

Depends if you are going for the 'organic' label or the "100% organic" label. From my understanding the "organic" label requires that 90% of the ingredients must be certified organic so items like yeast and enzymes don't count, except if they contain GMO's(which can never be used anywhere in an organic product). I don't know of any certified "100% organic" spirits. I think its because there are no (to my knowledge) 100% certified organic yeasts. If anyone knows of one please let me know...

I am just starting my organic certification and am far from an expert. My first stop was my state agricultural dept. They are a wealth of knowledge and gave me tons of free advice. In my state they also handle organic certification for what looks like a very reasonable price. The TTB also has a FAQ webpage dedicated to organic certification. http://www.ttb.gov/alfd/alfd_organic.shtml

Remember "Google is your friend so use it"

[dhdunbar]

Just stumbled across this thread from some time ago, but see that it gets an occasional entry still, so I'll comment too. Google may be a friend, but friends don't always know. If anyone in the future is looking for information about organic labeling of distilled spirits, or any other alcoholic beverage, the place to visit is TTB's website. Organic claims come under the Department of Agriculture’s purview, but TTB has zn MOA with USDA about NOA's and.... I'm just jokingly giving a warning about the acronyms you will encounter. TTB wants you to know what is required, so they include this information on their website. Here is a link:

http://www.ttb.gov/alfd/alfd_organic.shtml

That is TTB's website with links to other information, FAQ's, etc. For example, it links to:

http://www.ttb.gov/pdf/spirits.pdf

which is a pamphlet that TTB and USDA put together showing sample label for distilled spirits. It raises some questions by the acronyms it uses, but gives you a good idea of the questions you should ask. Then you can go back to the FAQ's and see if they answer them.

My reference to acronyms is a real warning. Gird your loins. The documents are full of them.

Good luck

[Jedd Haas]

Just as a point of information, "organic" doesn't mean that no pesticides are used. It only means that "organic approved" pesticides were used. Since the approved pesticides are less effective, larger quantities are used. I'm not sure how valuable organic labeling actually might be, particularly as more people learn about the actual point of distinction mentioned above.