Article 1

The Regulations are enacted pursuant to Article 33, Paragraph 4 of the Tobacco And Alcohol Administration Act (hereinafter referred to as “the Act”).

Article 2

(deleted)

Article 3 

The labeling of alcohol shall be clear, legible, and easily distinguishable and shall not be false or misleading about the characteristics of the alcohol products. Where labels are affixed on alcohol containers having direct contact with alcohol, said labels shall be firmly affixed to the containers and not easily destroyed or damaged.

Article 4  

The brand name of the alcohol products shall be printed in a large, broad or bold typeface. The typeface shall be larger than that of other labeling.

Brand names that are solely labeled or combined with other words, patterns, marks, or numbers, shall convey no erroneous impression or inference as to the age, origin, identity, or other characteristics of the product

Article 5 

Alcohol products shall be categorized and labeled in accordance with Article 3 of the Enforcement Rules of this Act. However, where the products fall under the subcategories, the subcategories may be labeled.

Imported alcohol products, except for ethyl alcohol products, the import tariff classification and goods’ names applied to the products approved and released by Customs may be used as the category.

The labeling of alcohol categories in Paragraph 1 shall comply with the amendment of Article 3 of the Enforcement Rules of this Act, and shall be labeled properly 6 months after the amendment has come into force.

Article6 

The alcohol content of alcohol products shall refer to the percentage of ethyl by volume measured by stereometry at 20 degrees centigrade on Celsius thermometer, i.e. the number of milliliters of ethyl in 100 milliliters of an alcoholic beverage. Alcohol content shall be labeled by degrees, %, % vol, or % by volume, and shall be stated by a number.

The tolerances allowed for the alcohol content referred to in the preceding paragraph is 0.5 degree for distilled spirits and 1 degree for alcohol products other than distilled spirits.

Article 7  

Importers of alcohol products shall label imported alcoholic beverages with the origin in accordance with the provision of Article 33, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 4 of the Act. Before making custom declarations, importers shall submit the certificate of origin issued by the government or chamber of commerce authorized by the government of the place (country) of production or the government or chamber of commerce authorized by the government of the place (country) of exportation to the central competent authority for examination.

Article 8  

The labeling of the name and address of the alcohol business set forth in Article 33, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 5 of the Act shall be sufficient to enable the consumer to identify and contact with the alcohol business.

After the alcohol products confiscated or appropriated are disposed by tender, the competent authority shall make random inspection regarding the labeling of the name and address of the highest bidder before delivering said products to the highest bidder.

Article 9  

The net contents of alcoholic beverage shall be stated in liter, centiliter, milliliter, l (L), cl, or ml.

The tolerances allowed for the volume referred to in the preceding paragraph shall conform to the provisions of CNS12924 Methods for Inspecting the Volume of Packaged Foods.

Article 10

The labeling of dates of alcohol products shall be in Chinese calendar or Gregorian calendar with specific day, month, and year. However, with regard to products with a preservation period of more than three months, the expiration date may be labeled with specific month and year only, and the period of validity shall be deemed as expired at the end of said month.

Article 11  

Warning label on alcohol products shall be placed in a conspicuous place on the container’s largest external surface. Such statement shall be on a contrasting background for ready legibility.

The warning label referred in the preceding paragraph, except on Ethyl alcohol, shall be labeled as “Excessive consumption of alcohol is harmful to health” or one of the followings:

1. To be safe, don’t drink and drive.

2. Excessive drinking is harmful to you and others.

3. Please do not drink if you are a minor.

4. Other warnings approved by the central competent authority.

Ethyl alcohol shall be labeled with one of the followings:

1. Highly flammable. Keep away from sources of fire, sparks, and flames.

2. Irritating to eyes, skin, and respiratory system. Should be kept in a cool, ventilated location with cap screwed on tightly.

Article 12  

“Vintage Year” referred in the Act shall mean the single year in which at least 85 percent of the wine concerned is obtained from fruits harvested in the year to be shown.

“Age” referred in the Act shall mean the time for which an alcohol product was matured in a container before bottling.

If an alcohol product referred in the preceding paragraph is produced by blending alcohol products with different ages, it shall be labeled with the age of the youngest one.

Labeling referred to in Paragraphs 1 and 2 shall be labeled with a number.

Where an alcohol product is labeled with vintage year or age, a certificate of the vintage year or age issued by the government or chamber of commerce authorized by the government of the place (country) of production shall be submitted to the central competent authority for examination before the alcohol product is declared to the Customs or released from the factory.

Article 13  

“Geographical Indication” referred to in the Act shall mean a geographical origin, such as a nation or region, that is sufficient to represent the quality, reputation or other characteristics of the goods, and such an origin shall be the place of production of the goods. Geographical indication shall comply with the regulations prescribed by each region or country.

The labeling of alcohol products shall not be used in translation or accompanied by expressions such as “kind”, “type”, “style”, “imitation” or the like, to convey erroneous impression or inference as to the origin of the alcohol product, even where the true origin of the product is indicated.

Where an alcohol product is labeled with geographical indication , a certificate of the geographical indication issued by the government or chamber of commerce authorized by the government of the place (country) of production shall be submitted to the central competent authority for examination before the alcohol product is declared to the Customs or released from the factory.

Article 14  

The labeling of alcohol products shall be in Chinese, provided, the restriction shall not apply to the followings:

1. Brand names of imported alcohol products and the names & addresses of the foreign manufacturers.

2. Names & addresses of foreign businesses commissioned to manufacture alcohol products.

3. Geographical indication of imported alcohol products.

Article 15

The Regulations shall be enforced as of the day of promulgation.
Article 5, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 8 of the Regulations amended and promulgated on May 16, 2008 shall be enforced from May 16, 2008.

Articles of the Regulations amended and promulgated on September 16, 2010 shall be enforced from September 16, 2010.