Drawback Tutorial

• Drawback Tutorial Home
• TTB F 5154.1
• Glossary/References
  • Definitions
  • TTB actions
  • What is density?
  • What is specific gravity?
  • Important unit conversions
• Calculations
  • Calculation of eligible alcohol
  • Calculation of alcohol content of finished product
  • Calculation Worksheets
• Unfitness for Beverage Purposes
  • What makes a product unfit?
  • 1% solutions
  • Organoleptic Analysis
• Naming Flavor/Flavoring Products
• Components of Formulas
  • Format of submissions
  • Common mistakes
  • Listing Ingredients in Your Formula
  • Identifying all sources of ethanol
  • Limited ingredients
  • Prohibited ingredients
  • Information about solid extracts
  • Artificial versus natural vanillin
  • Flavors purchased from other manufacturers
  • Compounded flavors manufactured in-house
  • Acids as flavoring chemicals
  • Botanicals allowed in flavors
• Submitting Samples with Formulas
• Revisions to Approved Formulas
• Special Products
  • Food products containing ethanol
  • Vanilla Extracts and Vanilla Flavors
• Example Formulas
  • Simple mixture 1
  • Simple mixture 2 (including discussion about yield)
  • Simple mixture 3 (includes a disapproved intermediate formula)
  • Simple extract
  • Washed extract (with multiple sources of ethanol)
  • Dietary Supplements 1
  • Dietary Supplement 2

Submitting samples with formulas

The following guidelines should help the submitter decide when it is appropriate to send a sample of their product along with their formula submission (TTB Form 5154.1 or Formulas Online). Sending a sample when it is not required adds unnecessary burden to the Lab and is an unnecessary cost to you. 

When needed, submit a 2 fl. oz. (30 mL) sample of a liquid product and a 4 oz. (110 g) sample of a solid product. Frozen products should be shipped such that they remain frozen. Use of dry ice and expedited shipping (e.g. overnight) is recommended, with delivery ideally occurring Mon-Thu. Samples should be sent to:
Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau
Nonbeverage Products Laboratory
6000 Ammendale Road
Beltsville, MD 20705-1250

**Please note that all shipping and handling costs are the responsibility of the submitter/shipper. If SSD receives an invoice from your company, all submissions will be placed on hold until the invoice has been paid.**

You should not send a sample when:

• The product does not contain ethanol regardless of where the product is manufactured.
• The formula shows that the product meets the TTB guidelines as outlined in the section describing what makes a product unfit (for products manufactured in the United States).

You should send a sample when:

• The formula does not list significant amounts of flavor chemicals.
• The formula only contains essences, concentrates, or extracts.
• The formula contains less than 10% by weight essential oil in a washed extract.
• The formula contains mitigating ingredients such as sugar, high fructose corn syrup, glycerin, or juices and does not meet the TTB guidelines as outlined in the section describing what makes a product unfit.
• The product is not manufactured in the United States (even if unfit by TTB guidelines).
• The product is a sauce/syrup - ethanol is not more than 12% (v/v) and residual solids greater than or equal to 60 grams per 100 cubic centimeters.
• The product is a vanilla extract of any fold that is manufactured from vanilla beans, or a 1 or 2 fold vanilla extract that contains greater than 45% alcohol by volume.
• The product is brandied fruit.
• The product is a frozen product, such as an ice cream or water ice.
• The product is a bitters.
• The product is a dietary supplement.
• The product is a homeopathic product that is at a potency greater than 5X.
• When requested by TTB.

Note: The submitter should list the specific chemical(s) that make the product unfit on the form.  This could eliminate the need to submit a sample.