Md. Code Regs. 14.23.01.05

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 24, December 2, 2024

Section 14.23.01.05 - Uniform Newspaper and Magazine Advertising of Wines and Distilled Spirits

A. Application. A person engaged in business as a producer, manufacturer, bottler, importer, wholesaler, or retail dealer of distilled spirits or wines, directly or indirectly, or through an affiliate, may not publish or disseminate or cause to be published or disseminated in any newspaper, magazine, or similar publication any advertisement for distilled spirits or wines, unless the advertisement is in conformity with this regulation. These provisions may not apply to the publisher of any newspaper, magazine, or similar publication unless the publisher is engaged in business as a producer, manufacturer, bottler, importer, wholesaler, or retail dealer of distilled spirits or wines, directly or indirectly, or through an affiliate.

B. For the purpose of this regulation, "advertisement" includes any advertisement of distilled spirits or wines through the medium of newspapers, magazines, or similar publications, except that the term may not include:

(1) Any label affixed to any container of distilled spirits or wines, or any individual covering, carton, or other wrapper of the container;

(2) Any editorial or other reading matter in any periodical, publication, or newspaper for the preparation of publication of which no money or other valuable consideration is paid or promised, directly or indirectly, by any person subject to this regulation.

C. General Requirements and Restrictions in the Advertising of Distilled Spirits and Wines.

(1) Mandatory Statements.

(a) Responsible Advertiser. The advertisement shall state the name and address of the producer, manufacturer, bottler, importer, wholesaler, or retail dealer responsible for its publication. The street name and number may be omitted in the address.

(b) Class, Type, and Distinctive Designation. The advertisement shall contain a conspicuous statement of the class and type, or other designation of the product, corresponding with the complete designation which appears on the brand label of the product as required by federal regulations.

(c) Alcohol Content. The alcohol content shall be stated in the manner and form in which it appears on the labels of distilled spirits advertised.

(d) Percentage of Neutral Spirits and Name of Commodity. In the case of distilled spirits (other than cordials, liqueurs, and specialties) produced by blending or rectification, if neutral spirits have been used in the production of it, there shall be stated in the advertisement the percentage of neutral spirits so used and the name of the commodity from which the neutral spirits have been distilled in substantially the manner and form in which these statements appear on the labels of the distilled spirits advertised. In the case of neutral spirits or of gin produced by a process of continuous distillation, there shall be stated in the advertisement the name of the commodity from which the neutral spirits or gin has been distilled substantially in the manner and form in which this statement appears on the labels of the distilled spirits advertised.

(e) "Line" or "Brand" Advertisements. Where an advertisement does not mention a specific product but merely refers to a class of distilled spirits (such as "whiskey") and the advertiser markets more than one brand of distilled spirits of that class, or where the advertisement refers to several classes of distilled spirits (such as "whiskey", "brandy", "rum", "gin", "liqueur", etc.) marketed under a single brand, the only mandatory information prescribed by this subsection applicable to the advertisement would be the name and address of the responsible advertiser.

(f) Retail Dealers. Advertisements by retail dealers which merely refer to the availability of distilled spirits or wines in those establishments but which otherwise make no reference to a specific brand of distilled spirits or wines shall be subject only to the "Prohibited Statements" provisions of §C(3).

(2) Lettering; Conspicuousness of Mandatory Statements. Statements required by this regulation to be stated in any written, printed, or graphic advertisement shall appear in lettering or type of a size, kind, and color sufficient to render them both conspicuous and readily legible. In particular:

(a) Required information shall be stated against a contrasting background and in type or lettering which is at least the equivalent of eight-point type;

(b) Required information shall be so stated as to appear to be a part of the advertisement and may not be separated in any manner from the remainder of the advertisement;

(c) When an advertisement relates to more than one product, the required information shall appear in such manner as to clearly indicate the particular products to which it is applicable;

(d) Required information may not be buried or concealed in unrequired descriptive matter or decorative designs.

(3) Prohibited Statements and Representations.

(a) Restrictions. An advertisement may not contain:

(i) Any statement that is false or misleading.

(ii) Any statement that is disparaging of a competitor's products.

(iii) Any statement, design, device, or representation which is obscene or indecent.

(iv) Any statement, design, device, or representation of, or relating to, analyses, standards, or tests, irrespective of falsity, which is likely to mislead the consumer.

(v) Any statement, design, device, or representation of, or relating to, any guaranty, irrespective of falsity, which is likely to mislead the consumer. Nothing in this section shall prohibit the use of any enforceable guaranty in substantially the following form: "We will refund the purchase price to the purchaser if he is in any manner dissatisfied with the contents of this package ---------- Blank to be filled in with the name of the person making guarantee.

(vi) Any statement that the product is produced, blended, made, bottled, packed, or sold under, or in accordance with, any authorization, law, or regulation of any municipality, county, or State, federal, or foreign government unless the statement is required or specifically authorized by the laws or regulations of that government. If a municipal, county, State, or federal permit number is stated, the permit number may not be accompanied by any additional statement relating to it.

(b) Statements Inconsistent with Labeling. The advertisement may not contain any statement concerning a brand or lot of distilled spirits or wines that is inconsistent with any statement on the labeling of it.

(c) Curative and Therapeutic Effects. The advertisement may not contain any statement, design, or device representing that the use of any distilled spirits or wines has curative or therapeutic effects, if the statement is untrue in any particular, or tends to create a misleading impression. Examples of these statements are:

(i) " ---------- is good for you";

(ii) "Conducive to well-being".

(d) Place of Origin. The advertisement may not represent that the distilled spirits or wines were manufactured in, or imported from, a place or country other than that of their actual origin, or were produced or processed by one who was not in fact the actual producer or processor.

(e) Flags, Seals, Coats of Arms, Crests, and Other Insignia. An advertisement may not contain any statement, design, device, or pictorial representation of, or relating to, or capable of being construed as relating to the armed forces of the United States, or of the American flag, any State flag, or of any emblem, seal, insignia, or decoration associated with these flags or the armed forces of the United States. An advertisement may not contain any statement, device, design, or pictorial representation of or concerning any flag, seal, coat of arms, crest, or other insignia, likely to lead the consumer to believe falsely that the product has been endorsed, made, used by, produced for, or under the supervision of, or in accordance with the specifications of the government, organization, family, or individual with whom that flag, seal, coat of arms, crest, or insignia is associated.

(f) Examples of prohibited statements are:

(i) Reproduction of medals or facsimiles of awards, when no medals or awards have been given or when the medals or awards were not given on a competitive or comparative basis. For example, "Genuine Sherry is made only in Spain".

(ii) "Contains no neutral spirits or alcohol" or "This rum will not turn dark in the bottle" or "All good wines are bottled at the winery".

(iii) "Analyzed by the Laboratory and found to be pure free from deleterious ingredients", "Tested and approved", or "Signed by The Research Institute".

(4) Other Prohibited Statements.

(a) Restrictions. An advertisement for distilled spirits may not contain the words "bond", "bonded", "bottled in bond", "aged in bond", or phrases containing these or synonymous terms, unless those words or phrases appear upon the labels of the distilled spirits advertised, and are stated in the advertisement in the manner and form in which they appear upon the label.

(b) Statements of Age. An advertisement for distilled spirits may not contain any statement, design, or device directly or by implication concerning age or maturity of any brand or lot of distilled spirits unless a statement of age appears on the labels of the advertised product. When this statement, design, or device concerning age or maturity is contained in any advertisement, it shall include (in direct conjunction with it and with substantially equal conspicuousness) all parts of the statement concerning age and percentages, if any, which appear on the label. However, an advertisement for any whiskey or brandy, which does not bear a statement of age on the label, or an advertisement for rum which is 4 years old or older, may contain general inconspicuous age, maturity, or other similar representations, such as "Aged in wood", and "Mellowed in fine oak casks."

(c) Restrictions. An advertisement for wine may not contain:

(i) Any statement of bonded winecellar and bonded winery numbers unless stated in direct conjunction with the name and address of the person operating that winery or storeroom. Statement of bonded winecellar and bonded winery numbers may be made in the following form: "Bonded Winecellar No.--", "Bonded Winery No.--", "B.W.C. No.--", "B.W. No.--". An additional reference to that statement may not be made, or may any use be made of that statement that may convey the impression that the wine has been made or matured under U.S. Government or any State Government supervision or in accordance with U.S. Government or any State Government specifications or standards.

(ii) Any statement, design, device, or representation which relates to alcoholic content or which tends to create the impression that a wine is "unfortified" or has been "fortified", or has intoxicating qualities, or contains distilled spirits (except for a reference to distilled spirits in a statement of composition when the statement is required by this regulation to appear as a part of the designation of the product).

(d) Statement of Age. A statement of age or representation relative to age (including words or devices in any brand name or mark) may not be made, except that:

(i) In the case of vintage wine, the year of vintage may be stated if it appears on the label;

(ii) Truthful references of a general and informative nature relating to methods of production involving storage or aging, such as "This wine has been mellowed in oak casks", "Stored in small barrels", or "Matured at regulated temperatures in our cellars" may be made.

(e) Statement of Bottling Dates. The statement of any bottling date may not be deemed to be a representation relative to age, if the statement appears without undue emphasis in the following form: "Bottled in--" (inserting the year in which the wine was bottled).

(f) Statement of Miscellaneous Dates. No date, except as provided in C(4)(b) and C(4)(c) with respect to statement of vintage year and bottling date, shall be stated unless, in addition to it, and in direct conjunction with it, in the same size and kind of printing there shall be stated an explanation of the significance of the date. If any date refers to the date of establishment of any business, the date shall be stated without undue emphasis and in direct conjunction with the name of the person to whom it refers.

Md. Code Regs. 14.23.01.05

Regulation .05 recodified from 03.02.01.07 effective 49:26 Md. R. 1080, eff. 12/26/2022