Ozark Highlands spirits, qualification as, requirements
This law sets rules for when a drink can be called 'Ozark Highlands' spirits and sold with that label in Missouri. For aged drinks like whiskey, the product has to be made and bottled in the Ozark Highlands area, aged in barrels made from Missouri wood, use natural spring or deep well water with no added chemicals, and be aged at least four years. For unaged drinks like gin or vodka, the product still has to be made and bottled in the Ozark Highlands and use that same natural water. A drink can also be called 'Single Malt' if it is distilled and bottled at one single distillery. All products must be certified by the Ozark Highland Distillers Guild, and the Missouri department of natural resources will work with that guild to make an official map of the Ozark Highlands region.
311.028. Ozark Highlands , qualification as, requirements — , qualification as — Ozark Highlands map. — 1. (1) To qualify as "Ozark Highlands" spirits, and to be labeled as such for sale in Missouri, a product shall meet the following conditions:
(a) The product shall be , , , aged, and bottled in the Ozark Highlands region;
(b) The product shall be aged in barrels manufactured from Missouri;
(c) The water source shall be untreated or natural from natural springs or deep wells in the Ozark Highlands, and without or added chemicals such as fluoride; and
(d) The minimum age of a whiskey shall be four years.
(2) To qualify as "Ozark Highlands" spirits, and to be labeled as such for sale in Missouri, an unaged product, such as gin or vodka, shall meet the following conditions:
(a) The product shall be mashed, fermented, distilled, and bottled in the Ozark Highlands region; and
(b) The water source shall be untreated or natural from natural springs or deep wells in the Ozark Highlands, and without chlorination or added chemicals such as fluoride.
2. To additionally qualify as "Single Malt", the product shall be distilled and bottled at a single .
3. The product shall be further , by seal or other means, by the Ozark Highland Guild as a qualifying "Ozark Highlands" product.
4. For the purposes of this section, the Missouri of natural resources shall produce, in collaboration with the Ozark Highland Distillers Guild, and publish an official map of the Ozark Highlands region.
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Source & history notes
(L. 2022 H.B. 1738)
Legal information, not legal advice. Always confirm with the official source at revisor.mo.gov.