Posted by Lisa McTigue Pierce, Executive Editor -- Packaging Digest, 4/29/2013 7:59:08 AM
Blue Ice Vodka, an American potato vodka produced at Distilled Resources Inc. in Rigby, ID, is the first spirit brand in the country to feature a "Gluten Free" designation on the package label. A Certificate of Label Approval (COLA) approved by the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is required for all alcoholic beverage labels. With testing methods in place to verify all gluten-free claims, Blue Ice Vodka is the first spirit brand to achieve a "Gluten Free" COLA approval by the TTB.
"Introduced in 2001, Blue Ice Vodka catapulted America's first and largest potato distillery, Distilled Resources Inc. [formerly Silver Creek Distillers, Inc.] onto the map with a homegrown, premium vodka made from Idaho Russet Burbank Potatoes," says Gray Ottley, director, Distilled Resources Inc. "We are very proud of our vodka distilling heritage and pioneering efforts at Distilled Resources Inc. and with Blue Ice, specifically. Three years in the making, federal approval to officially label Blue Ice Vodka as gluten free is another progressive step for the industry and for all of those who suffer from gluten intolerance."
May is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month. Celiac disease is a digestive disorder triggered by intolerance to gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley. It is one of the most common genetic autoimmune conditions in the world and often goes undiagnosed. It is estimated that as many as one in 141 Americans, or about 1 percent of the population, has celiac disease. The only existing treatment is a 100 percent gluten-free diet.
Previous to this landmark "Gluten Free" COLA approval, gluten-free claims by spirit companies have been prohibited on package labeling. Blue Ice Vodka received official COLA approval in December 2012. The approved gluten-free designation appears on the Blue Ice flagship potato vodka label in the form of a red badge labeled "Gluten Free" in the upper right corner of the bottle. Blue Ice Vodka bottles featuring the new packaging are now in market nationwide.
