One interesting component of the recently enacted Craft Distillery License is that it permits license holders to certify that their products are “New Jersey Distilled.” Under the New Jersey statute authorizing the license, a craft distiller certifying that at least 51% of the raw materials used in the production of its distilled alcoholic beverages are either grown in New Jersey or purchased from providers in the State can label such beverages as “New Jersey Distilled.”

The New Jersey Distilled designator is symbolic of the State’s support for the nascent craft distilling industry in New Jersey. It also presents a unique marketing opportunity for the artisan distiller by permitting advertising that promotes spirits that are locally distilled using locally produced ingredients. With the new Craft Distillery License, the New Jersey legislature has reconsidered manufacturing laws that have been in place since the repeal of prohibition, lowering the barriers to entry for the craft industry. Further, New Jersey Distilled can be a sign of solidarity amongst the State’s artisan distillers as well as promoting distillers’ association with our State’s unique identity.

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