TTB COLA Approval: How to Get Your US Alcohol Label Approved

Every alcoholic beverage label for wine (with more than 7% ABV), distilled spirits, and malt beverages sold in the United States requires a Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) before it can be legally marketed. The COLA process is mandatory — there are no shortcuts — and label designs that do not comply with TTB regulations will be rejected, delaying your launch by weeks.

What Requires a COLA?

• All domestically produced wine with ≥7% ABV
• All imported wine with ≥7% ABV (for all containers entering US commerce)
• All distilled spirits products
• All malt beverages (beer, flavored malt beverages, hard seltzer) that contain 0.5% ABV or more

Note: Non-alcoholic wines and beers (<0.5% ABV) do not require COLA.

Mandatory Label Information

TTB regulations specify mandatory information that must appear on every COLA-compliant label:

• Brand name: Your brand name as registered with TTB
• Class and type designation: e.g., 'American Whiskey', 'Chardonnay', 'Pale Ale'
• Alcohol content (% ABV): Required for spirits and malt beverages; optional for wine but advisable
• Net contents: In metric (750mL) for wine and spirits; in standard measure for malt beverages
• Name and address of the bottler/importer
• Country of origin: For imported products
• Health warning statement: The Surgeon General's warning in the exact wording specified by the Alcoholic Beverage Labeling Act (ABLA): "GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems."
  • Must appear in a box
  • Minimum 2mm character height
  • Must use a legible type style, with the term "GOVERNMENT WARNING" in capital letters

The COLA Application Process

1. Create your label: Design your label in full compliance with all TTB requirements
2. Submit via COLAs Online: TTB's online system (ttbonline.gov/colasonline/) accepts electronic submissions
3. Provide label specifications: Label dimensions, container type, application method
4. Pay no fee: COLA applications are currently free
5. Await approval: Standard processing takes 15–30 days; expedited 1-day processing available for domestic spirits only

Common COLA Rejection Reasons

• Health warning statement issues: Incorrect wording, insufficient type size (<2mm), missing box, or missing capitalisation of "GOVERNMENT WARNING"
• Misleading terms: Geographic designations that imply origin the product doesn't have (e.g., 'Champagne' for non-French sparkling wine is prohibited for new labels)
• Percentage discrepancy: Actual ABV more than 0.3% (wine) or 0.5% (spirits) different from declared ABV
• Missing mandatory information: Any required element absent from the label

Design Tips for TTB Compliance

The health warning statement design frequently causes rejections. To ensure compliance:

• Minimum 2mm character height for all health warning text (measure at final print size, not in your design software at screen zoom)
• The box surrounding the warning must have a clear, unambiguous border — the warning must not be confused with promotional text
• The two warning paragraphs must be preceded by their numbers: (1) and (2)
• The warning must appear on the brand label OR back label — it cannot appear only on a neck label

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