Marketing terms

Small Batch: no fixed batch size required

The term Small Batch is meant to suggest small, carefully monitored production runs. However, neither the EU spirits regulation nor US law specifies a maximum number of liters a batch can contain to earn that name. A producer can therefore use the term even for fairly large quantities without breaking any rules, as long as no one claims a specific figure that isn't true.

This makes Small Batch a purely marketing claim by the producer, not an independently verified figure. Anyone who wants to know the actual batch size usually has to ask the producer directly. Sometimes a published batch number with real production figures helps too, something some distilleries voluntarily disclose on their website.

Craft and Handcrafted: craftsmanship without a fixed definition

Craft Gin and Handcrafted Gin evoke the image of a small, independent distillery controlling every step by hand. Legally, neither term is defined. Even large corporations may use them, as long as the advertising isn't misleading in other respects, such as false claims about actual origin or ownership structure.

In practice, many small distilleries use these terms rightfully, since they really do work in manageable quantities with a high degree of manual effort. That doesn't change the fact that the words themselves aren't a verified guarantee. Looking at the actual distillery behind the brand tells you more than the term alone, for instance about size, ownership, and production location.

Premium: a price statement, not a quality seal

Premium is perhaps the least regulated term of all. It describes neither a specific alcohol strength nor a particular production method. It positions a bottle in the higher price bracket. A gin can therefore be called Premium even though it hits exactly the legal minimum strength of 37.5 percent and is made with the simplest ingredients, as long as the packaging isn't misleading in any additional way.

This doesn't automatically mean Premium gins are bad. Many live up to what the price promises. But the term itself is no substitute for reading the actual category, the botanical list, and the alcohol content on the label before choosing a particular bottle and paying more for it than for a basic bottling.

How to properly read marketing terms

Producer claims like Small Batch, Craft, Handcrafted, or Premium should always be read for what they are: marketing, not a legal category. Reliable information, by contrast, comes from the legally defined terms like Gin, Distilled Gin, or London Gin, as well as the stated alcohol strength, which can't simply be made up.

A simple test helps when in doubt. If a word on the label doesn't name one of the three EU categories and doesn't include a percentage, it's almost always a marketing claim by the producer. That doesn't make such terms worthless, but they never replace looking at the actual legal statement, which ultimately determines the category.

A somewhat more concrete reference point comes from the American Craft Spirits Association. The industry group defines a craft distillery by an annual production ceiling of 750,000 proof gallons, roughly 2.8 million liters of pure alcohol. However, this figure is a voluntary industry definition, not a legal requirement from the TTB or the EU. A producer making significantly more can still call itself a Craft Distillery, as long as the advertising isn't additionally backed up by false factual claims. For buyers, this leaves only the actual stated production volume to go by, if a producer even publishes it. There's no European equivalent of this industry-association definition so far.