Alcohol Label Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. A Scotch combines one or more single malt whiskies with one or more single grain whiskies. Which category belongs on its label?
Blended malt Scotch whisky
Blended Scotch whisky
Single grain Scotch whisky
Single malt Scotch whisky
2. A 750 mL bottle of wine is labeled 12% ABV. Approximately how much pure alcohol by volume does the full bottle contain?
9 mL
48 mL
120 mL
90 mL
3. Which bourbon brand is strongly associated with bottles sealed by distinctive dripping red wax?
Woodford Reserve
Wild Turkey
Maker’s Mark
Bulleit Bourbon
4. Compared with bourbon that does not use the word “straight,” what does “straight bourbon whiskey” specifically add as a U.S. labeling requirement?
It must be made entirely from corn
It must be bottled at exactly 50% ABV
It must have been produced in Kentucky
It must have been aged for at least two years
5. On an alcoholic drink label, what does “40% ABV” mean?
The drink contains 40 grams of alcohol per bottle
Alcohol makes up 40% of the drink’s volume
Alcohol accounts for 40% of the drink’s calories
The drink has been aged for 40% of its production time
6. A Cognac label displays “VSOP.” What does this classification tell you about the youngest eau-de-vie in the blend?
It was aged for at least four years
It was bottled within four years of distillation
It is the same age as the average component in the blend
It is the oldest component and was aged for at least ten years
7. You want tequila that has rested in oak longer than blanco but generally less than añejo. Which label term should you choose?
Mixto
Joven
Extra añejo
Reposado
8. A bottle of Scotch whisky carries a 12-year age statement. What does that number indicate?
The average age of all whisky in the bottle is exactly 12 years
The oldest whisky used in the bottle was aged for 12 years
The youngest whisky used in the bottle was aged for at least 12 years
The whisky spent 12 years aging after it was bottled
9. What does “single malt Scotch whisky” mean on a label?
Malt whisky made from malted barley at one Scottish distillery
Whisky drawn from one individual barrel only
Scotch made from a single grain variety at several distilleries
Whisky bottled from one uninterrupted production year
10. Which rum brand is famously identified by a bat emblem on its label?
Bacardí
Mount Gay
Havana Club
Captain Morgan
11. The “Striding Man” figure is a long-standing symbol of which Scotch whisky brand?
Chivas Regal
The Famous Grouse
Johnnie Walker
Dewar’s
12. A label says “Distilled by Hill Creek Distillers” and, elsewhere, “Bottled by Valley Spirits.” What is the most reasonable conclusion?
Valley Spirits necessarily owns Hill Creek Distillers
The label names different businesses for distillation and bottling
The spirit was necessarily distilled where it was bottled
Valley Spirits produced the original distilled spirit
13. You are comparing tequila labels. What does “100% agave” indicate?
The tequila was aged only in agave-wood barrels
The bottle contains undiluted agave nectar
The tequila has an alcohol content of 100 proof
All fermentable sugars used came from blue agave
14. Which liqueur brand uses a stag with a glowing cross between its antlers as a central label emblem?
Cointreau
Jägermeister
Drambuie
Grand Marnier
15. A gin is labeled “London Dry” but lists a distillery outside London. Which interpretation is correct?
The location statement must be false
The gin was distilled in London and later moved
“London Dry” is a regulated production style and need not be made in London
“London Dry” refers only to the gin’s lack of added sugar
16. A spirits label shows 40% ABV. Under the standard U.S. proof system, what proof is it?
80 proof
40 proof
100 proof
120 proof