The Spirits Regulations 1991

PART III Conduct of processes

Special conditions and requirements

9.  Without prejudice to the other provisions of these Regulations, a distiller shall comply with such conditions or requirements as the officer may for reasonable cause impose in relation to any particular operation or process in the manufacture of spirits.

Distillation periods

10.—(1) A distiller shall conduct his operations in separate distillation periods for each class of spirits, and shall specify the dates of commencement and termination of those periods in the entry book (or other records approved under regulation 21 below) or as the officer may otherwise allow.

(2) A distiller may conduct his operations so that more than one distillation period is in progress at any one time.

(3) In respect of each batch of wort which he makes, the distiller shall specify to which distillation period it belongs, and a distillation period shall commence at the date when production of the earliest of the wort included in it commences.

(4) Each distillation period shall end when all the wort specified to belong to it has been distilled and the feints and spirits produced therefrom have been conveyed into their receivers and account has been taken of them.

(5) Save as the officer may otherwise allow, a distiller shall conduct his operations so that no distillation period exceeds one month in length.

Produce of distillation periods

11.—(1) Save as the Commissioners may otherwise allow, a distiller shall ensure that the produce of any distillation period is not mixed with any other matter until account of that produce has been taken in such manner and to such an extent as the officer may require.

(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1) above, before account is taken of the produce of any distillation period it may be mixed with feints of which account has been taken in an earlier distillation period.

Provisions as to wort or wash etc.

12.—(1) Except with the written consent of the Commissioners and subject to such conditions as they may prescribe—

(a) a distiller shall not use any material in the brewing or making of wort or wash which prevents the true gravity of the wort or wash from being ascertained;

(b) a distiller shall not have in his possession at a distillery any wort, wash, low wines, feints, spirits or fermented liquor not made, brewed or distilled at that distillery; and

(c) a distiller shall not add yeast, or other matter capable of causing fermentation, to wort or wash in any vessel other than a fermenting vessel.

(2) A distiller shall ensure that any wort or wash removed from any fermenting vessel for the recovery of yeast is not disposed of except in such manner as the officer may approve and subject to such conditions as he may prescribe.

Sugar

13.  Save as the Commissioners may otherwise allow, a distiller—

(a) shall not keep any sugar at his distillery otherwise than in a sugar store within the entered premises;

(b) shall not remove any sugar from a sugar store except for use in the manufacture of spirits;

(c) shall immediately convey any sugar removed from the sugar store to the place where it is to be used and if it is not then used shall return it forthwith to the store; and

(d) shall not remove any sugar from, or return any sugar to, a sugar store before any entry or other record required by or under these Regulations has been made.

Gravity of wort or wash

14.—(1) The Commissioners may require that before the gravity of any wort or wash is ascertained it shall be cleared of insoluble matter in a manner approved by them.

(2) Save as provided by regulations 15 and 16 below, and unless the Commissioners approve in writing some other means, the gravity of any wort or wash shall be ascertained by an approved saccharometer and a thermometer used in a manner approved by them.

(3) A distiller shall ascertain, and record in such form and manner as the officer may require, the quantity and gravity of any wort or wash immediately after collection in any fermenting vessel is complete.

(4) A distiller shall ascertain, and record in such form and manner as the officer may require, particulars of the gravity of any wash immediately before he removes it from a fermenting vessel, together with such other particulars as the officer may require, including particulars of the vessel.

(5) When record has been made of any wort or wash under this regulation, the quantity or gravity of that wort or wash shall not be increased except with the permission of the officer.

Ascertainment of original gravity after fermentation has commenced (1st method)

15.  When fermentation has commenced in any wash so that the original gravity of the wort from which the wash is made cannot be ascertained by an approved means, the original gravity may be determined in the following manner—

(a) a sample is to be taken from any part of such wash and, after first being cleared of insoluble matter in an approved manner, a definite quantity thereof by measure at the temperature of 20 degrees Celsius shall be distilled;

(b) the distillate and residue shall each be made up at the temperature of 20 degrees Celsius with distilled water to the original measure of the quantity before distillation, and the gravity of each shall be ascertained at 20 degrees Celsius;

(c) the number of degrees by which the gravity of the distillate is less than the gravity of distilled water at 20 degrees Celsius shall be deemed the spirit indication of the distillate;

(d) the degrees of gravity standing opposite to such spirit indication in the table in Schedule 2 to these Regulations added to the gravity of the residue expressed in degrees, shall be deemed to be the original gravity of the wort; and

(e) the degrees of the original gravity ascertained in accordance with paragraph (d) above shall be subject to such adjustment for volatile acidity as the Commissioners may allow.

Ascertainment of original gravity after fermentation has commenced (2nd method)

16.—(1) Subject to paragraph (2) below, when fermentation has commenced in any wash so that the original gravity of the wort from which the wash is made cannot be ascertained by an approved means, the original gravity may be determined in the following manner—

(a) a sample is to be taken from any part of such wash and, after clearing the sample of insoluble matter in an approved manner, the gravity of the sample shall be ascertained using a means approved by the Commissioners under section 3(2) of the Act;

(b) the gravity ascertained as in paragraph (a) above shall be adjusted by an addition established in accordance with paragraphs (c) and (d) below, and the gravity so adjusted shall be deemed to be the original gravity of the wort; provided always that if the original gravity is known to be greater than the figure obtained in the manner set out in this regulation, or is found to be greater by the employment of the method set out in regulation 15 above, the greater figure shall be deemed to be the original gravity of the wort;

(c) an addition for fermentation which has taken place shall be established initially from six samples taken from separate batches of wash (which shall be given reference numbers 1 to 6), by finding the gravity of each sample both as determined by the method set out in regulation 15 above and as ascertained by the method set out in paragraph (a) above, and calculating the average of the excess of the former over the latter for the six samples;

(d) the established addition for fermentation referred to in paragraph (b) above shall be verified during each month by taking one sample of wash (which shall be given the next reference number in the same series), finding for this sample as heretofore the excess of the gravity determined by the method set out in regulation 15 above over the gravity ascertained by the method set out in paragraph (a) above, and calculating the average of the said excess for this sample and the previous five samples in the series, and where the new average differs by more than 0.5 degrees from the current established addition, the new average shall become the established addition.

(2) The procedures provided for by paragraph (1) above shall be carried out afresh where—

(a) there is a change—

(i) in the composition of the wort or of the yeast; or

(ii) in any plant, practices or processes used in the manufacture of spirits; and

(b) such change may affect any addition for fermentation that may be established (as described in paragraph (1) above).