It was reported to me by a correspondent that Bulleit Bourbon labels in Germany contain the phrase "Enthalt Zuckerkulor." I don’t know German, but a literal translation seems to be “contains sugar color,” which I interpret as the addition of spirit caramel. Am I translating it correctly?
Spirit caramel is a common coloring agent, permitted in scotch, but added coloring of any kind is prohibited for bourbon.
I don’t mean to suggest anything illegal. I understand that U.S. law only regulates what is sold in the United States. However, there is an argument that to preserve the integrity of the product, producers shouldn’t sell anything outside the U.S. that they can’t sell inside. The most common example of this is underproof products, but this would be another example.
I'm interested if anyone knows more about this, but I'm also interested in your opinions about whether it matters to you that at least some companies sell as "bourbon" in export markets products they can't call "bourbon" here.