27 CFR §5.202
Verified against eCFR.gov as of June 20, 2026View official text on eCFR.gov ↗
- (a)General. Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section and in § 5.205, distilled spirits must be bottled in standard liquor containers, as defined in this paragraph. A standard liquor container is a container that is made, formed, and filled in such a way that it does not mislead purchasers as regards its contents. An individual carton or other container of a bottle may not be so designed as to mislead purchasers as to the size of the bottle it contains.
- (b)Headspace. A filled liquor container of a capacity of 200 milliliters (6.8 fl. oz.) or more is deemed to mislead the purchaser if it has a headspace in excess of 8 percent of the total capacity of the container after closure.
- (c)Design. Regardless of the correctness of the stated net contents, a liquor container is deemed to mislead the purchaser if it is made and formed in such a way that its actual capacity is substantially less than the capacity it appears to have upon visual examination under ordinary conditions of purchase or use.
- (d)Exception for distinctive liquor bottles. The provisions of paragraphs (b) and (c) of this section do not apply to liquor bottles for which a distinctive liquor bottle approval has been issued pursuant to § 5.205.