The Short Version
Start with the legal type, then read its row. A familiar word on the front label can be less useful than the production conditions attached to it.
The Primary Text
27 CFR §5.143, Whisky — eCFR is the government’s continuously updated text. Checked November 3, 2026; the displayed version was current through October 30, 2026. The eCFR is authoritative but is not the official legal edition.
The Academy’s earlier bibliography linked the Cornell Legal Information Institute transcription. Use the government text for the current wording and its version controls for historical comparison.
A Map of the Section
Location | What to look for |
Paragraph (a) | The general whiskey class |
Paragraph (b) | Label designations and geographic wording |
Paragraph (c), Table 1 | Grain, distillation, storage and permitted additions for each listed type |
Paragraph (c), Table 2 | Types distinctive to specified foreign countries |
Paragraph (d) | The American single malt transition |
The tables use separate columns because one number does not answer every production question. Distillation proof, barrel-entry proof and bottling proof describe different stages.
Read the Whole Row
Choose the claimed type and follow its conditions across the table. Then check any other applicable labeling provisions. This page is a guide to finding the text, not a determination that a particular bottle complies.
A category standard is not a taste score. It also does not identify every company that distilled, stored, blended or bottled the contents.
A Dated Example
Federal American single malt standard takes effect explains the 2025 American single malt addition, its straight designation and the separate transition provision. Those dates should not be confused with the earlier history of producers making malt whiskey.
Try the Reading Method
A summary gives a whiskey’s bottling proof. Can you use that alone to establish its distillation proof?
Continue exploring: 
Premium, Craft, and Contemporary Revival · 
The History of Bourbon and Other American Whiskies