[dredmorbius]

You're welcome to tell me which of the following brands you consider "college rot gut". Though it's all just flavoured ethanol:

http://sourmashed.com/american-whiskey-database/frank-lin-di...

A R Morrow Brandy, Lejon Brandy, Potter’s Finest Brandy, Montanac Brandy, Maraska Brandy, Busnel Calvados, Menorval Calvados, 1st Cru Collection Cognac, Francious Voyer Napoleon Cognac, Maison Prunier Cognac, Marthe Sepia Cognac, Menuet Cognac, Aubade & Cie. Cognac, Francois De Lyon Cognac, Jules Domet Cognac, Maison Prunier Cognac, Café Del Amor, Curacao Liqueur, Destinee Liqueur, Gran Citron, Grand Marquette, Holly Toddy, Jules Domet Orange Liqueur, Kona Gold Coffee Liqueur, Maraska Cherry & Pear Liqueurs, Potter’s, Potter’s Long Island Iced Tea, Potter’s Sour Splash, Vice Rei – Portugal Passion Fruit, Duggan’s Irish Cream, Barrett’s London Dry Gin, Bellringer (England) Gin, Cossack Gin, Martini London Dry Gin, Potter’s London Dry Gin, Classik Grappa, Jules Domet Grand Orange, Agwa, Arak Razzouk – Anise Liqueur, Par-D-Schatz, Ramazotti, Arak Razzouk, Don Antonio Aguilar, Diamond Head Rum, Havana Bay Rum, Moraga Cay Rum, Potter’s Specialty Rums, Potter’s West Indies Rum, Prichard’s Rum, Tanduay Rum, Glenalmond Scotch, Glen Ranoch Scotch, Muirheads Speyside Scotch, Angus Dundee Scotch, Tambowie Scotch, Blackburn’s Scotch, Duggan’s Dew Scotch, Lloyd & Haig Scotch, Potter’s Scotch, Maraska Kosher, Subovorska, Defrost Schnapps, El Tirador Tequila, Arette 100% agave Tequila, Baja Tequila, Baja Tequila Liqueur, Don Diego Santa Tequila, Potter’s Tequila, Puente Grande Tequila, Puerto Vallarta Tequila, Quito Tequila, Señor Rio Tequila, Sol De Mexico Tequila, Baronoff Vodka, Beyond Vodka, Charodei-Russia Vodka, Cossack Vodka, Crown Czar Vodka, Crown Superior Vodka, Ed Hardy-France Vodka, Haamonii-Schochu Vodka, Maggy-Russsia Vodka, Monnema Vodka, Monopolowa Vodka, Monopolowa-Austria Vodka, Potter’s Vodka, Purity-Sweden Vodka, Royal Czar Vodka, Spirit of Santa-Finland Vodka, Tamiroff Vodka, Vampyre-Transylvania Vodka, White Wolf Vodka, Bourbon Age – Ky Bourbon, Bourbon Club Bourbon, Buck Bourbon Bourbon, Clyde Mays Conecuh Ridge Whisky Bourbon, Joshua Brook Bourbon, Potter’s Bourbon, Wathen’s Bourbon, Barret’s Blended Whiskey, Glenwood Blended Whiskey, Potter’s Blended Whiskey, 8 Seconds Canadian Whisky, C.E.O. Canadian Whisky, Campbell & Cooper Canadian Whisky, Canadian Crown Canadian Whisky, Potter’s Crown Canadian Whisky.

[gaadd33]

How can they legally sell Canadian Whisky given it's a protected geographic designation under NAFTA?

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_whisky#Regulations and NAFTA Chapter 3, Annex 313: Distinctive Products)

[justin66]

Same deal with the "Scotch" and "Cognac" appellations. They're protected by law.

The thing to remember is, there's plenty of completely crappy Scotch and, presumably, Cognac. It's not mixed from pure ethanol - the countries who control the use of the appellations have laws about how the stuff can be made - but every drink industry has its bottom of the barrel stuff that it needs to get rid of somehow...

[gaadd33]

As far as I know "Scotch" and "Cognac" are only protected in the EU.

In any case, the parent claims that Frank-Lin Distillers just uses pure ethanol to produce all of it's products. Given things such as bourbon permit the addition of "neutral grain spirits" those products make sense. I was curious about the Canadian whiskey case since it is explicitly one of the few protected spirits in law and appears to at least require production and aging in Canada.

[justin66]

> As far as I know "Scotch" and "Cognac" are only protected in the EU.

That's an interesting thought. I'm aware of France fighting misuse of its wine appellations overseas but I don't know about the rest. They're pretty aggressive, though.

> In any case, the parent claims that Frank-Lin Distillers just uses pure ethanol to produce all of it's products. Given things such as bourbon permit the addition of "neutral grain spirits" those products make sense.

The "bourbon" label is protected in the United States: you need to use certain ingredients to make bourbon, or rye, or tennessee whiskey, or whatever. With bourbon, for example, an ethanol distilled all the way up to azeotrope wouldn't be legal in the United States. The limit you can use is 160 proof.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bourbon_whiskey#Legal_requireme...

In the parent's defense, "flavored ethanol" isn't a bad way of describing a lot of vodkas. Some of the better vodkas come out of industrial continuous distillation. The parent is just overstating his case, and in a small way, missing the point. A lot of that cheap stuff would be BETTER if it were pure ethanol and an additive...