In T.D. 6945, published January 26, 1968, Treasury rejected proposals that would have relaxed the proof, entry-proof, and cooperage requirements for bourbon, rye, straight, and other traditional American whiskey types. It instead adopted a distinct light-whisky standard for higher-proof U.S. whisky matured in used or uncharred new oak, expressly relying on differences in product character and the need to avoid consumer confusion.
Verified against the complete primary Treasury decision, 33 Fed. Reg. 983–986, including the proposal history, findings, conclusions, regulatory text, effective-date staging, signature, and F.R. Doc. 68-981.
T.D. 6945 was published January 26, 1968, but most amendments were staged to become effective July 1, 1972 and did not apply to labeling spirits distilled before publication. Describe 1968 as the published regulatory decision and category creation; source current technical requirements separately.
The controlling primary decision directly states why traditional American type boundaries were retained and why a separate light-whisky designation was adopted.
Primary regulatory record added and fully verified September 1, 2026. Cowdery's stronger counterfactual that the compromise 'saved' bourbon remains interpretation, not part of this factual claim.
This claim records the regulatory decision and its stated consumer-identity rationale. It deliberately excludes the author’s stronger counterfactual conclusion about what would have happened otherwise.