The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has approved 13 new standards of fill for wine, including 16 oz. and 19.2 oz. packages, allowing producers – including hard cider and mead producers – to participate in the increasingly popular formats with offerings 7% ABV and above.
The TTB’s ruling will be published on Friday, January 10, going into effect at the same time. The new approved standards for wine, hard cider and mead include:
- 473 ml (16 oz.)
- 569 ml (19.2 oz)
- 180 ml
- 300 ml
- 330 ml
- 360 ml
- 550 ml
- 600 ml
- 620 ml
- 700 ml
- 720 ml
- 1.8 liters
- 2.25 liters
The TTB has also added 15 new standards of fill for distilled spirits, and is amending its regulations “to eliminate the distinction between standards of fill for distilled spirits in cans and those for distilled spirits in containers other than cans,” according to the unpublished report.
The added standards of fill for distilled spirits include:
- 187 ml
- 250 ml
- 331 ml
- 350 ml
- 355 ml
- 475 ml
- 500 ml
- 570 ml
- 700 ml
- 710 ml
- 945 ml
- 1.5 liters
- 2 liters
- 3 liters
- 3.75 liters
The TTB considered an elimination of standards of fill for wine and distilled spirits, but “is not adopting that proposal at this time,” according to the report.
The American Cider Association (ACA) celebrated the new standards, noting in a press release that “large format cans in convenience channels have been a critical source of growth for craft beverages since the COVID[-19] pandemic,” but hard cider has been unable to fully capitalize due to standards of fill restrictions.
“Now we will see single-serve regional cider succeeding in more convenience-oriented craft beverage spaces,” outgoing ACA CEO Michelle McGrath said in the release. “That’s a big win for cider.”
Previously, hard cideries have been able to package products in 16 oz. and 19.2 oz. cans, but only with offerings below 7% ABV. Higher ABV cider – and wine and mead – could be sold in-state with a TTB-approved certificate of label approval (COLA) exemption, but those exemptions were challenging to obtain and limited, according to the ACA.
“The COLA-exemption route was a Band-Aid,” ACA government affairs committee chair and Portland Cider Company co-owner Jeff Parrish said in the release. “It proved that there is demand for higher ABV cider in these packaging volumes, but it wasn’t opening the market in a meaningful way.
“These new packaging volumes will be a game changer for regional cider in 2025,” he added.
The ACA has advocated for changes particularly as imperial ciders – offerings above 8% ABV – have become the fastest growing style in the segment. Additionally, some apples naturally ferment at higher ABV levels.
“We take a ‘hands off’ approach letting the cider ferment with less intervention,” ACA board member and Stormalong Cider founder Shannon Edgar said in the release. “Some of these apples naturally ferment to ABVs over 7% due to the higher sugar content. It’s great to be able to package these ciders in their natural state, in our container of choice that our customers are accustomed to.”
This is the second addition of standards of fill for wine, hard cider and mead in a four-year period. In December 2020, the TTB added allowances for 355 ml (12 oz.), 250 ml (8.45 oz.) and 200 ml (6.76 oz.). At the time of the change, hard cider had 0.8% share of total beer category dollar sales, according to previous reporting. As of November 30, 2024, the segment has grown share to 3.6% in NIQ-tracked off-premise channels.
The latest change could once again contribute to new growth for the segment. However, McGrath acknowledged that adaptation may take time as producers build up can supply.
“Packaging is no panacea, but I’ve seen switching formats be a winning move for both larger regional cideries and smaller local cideries,” McGrath said. “Partnerships can help ease the cost of transition.”