Your wine, distilled spirit, or beer/malt beverage may require formula approval or laboratory sample analysis before you may apply for a Certificate of Label Approval, or COLA. We require formula approval most commonly when a product has added flavoring or coloring materials.
New to Formula Approval? A formula is a complete list of the ingredients used to make an alcohol beverage and a step-by-step description of how it's made. In some cases, we may also require laboratory analysis of the product CHECK IF YOUR BEVERAGE REQUIRES FORMULA APPROVAL OR LAB ANALYSIS | Already Familiar with Formula Approval? If you have already submitted a formula for approval, you can check the status of your formula application and see recent application processing times. |
Key Formula Topics
- Flavor Ingredient Data Sheet (FIDS): Guidance and Examples
- Ingredient Specification Sheet (Spec Sheet): Guidance and Examples
- Limited Ingredient Calculation Worksheets; Guidance and Examples
- Blank Worksheet: Volume Based, Seven Flavors [XLS file]
- Blank Worksheet: Volume Based, 15 Flavors [XLS file]
- Blank Worksheet: Percentage Based, Seven Flavors [XLS file]
- Blank Worksheet: Percentage Based, 15 Flavors [XLS file]
- Example Formulas
- General-use formulas for certain agricultural wines
- Alcohol beverages with added caffeine
- General-use formulas for certain distilled spirits produced using harmless coloring, flavoring, or blended materials
- Ingredients and processes used in production of beer that do not require filing of a formula
- Requirements for domestic hemp product formulas
- FAQ on Hemp Policy
- Flavor Ingredient Data Sheet (FIDS): Guidance and Examples
- Ingredient Specification Sheet (Spec Sheet): Guidance and Examples
- Limited Ingredient Calculation Worksheets; Guidance and Examples
Formula Topics by Commodity
We've listed below some formula information by commodity. This is not a comprehensive list, so please be sure to browse the information listed on the rest of this page, and visit our beer, wine, and distilled spirits home pages for more commodity-specific information about your product.