The label

The Government Warning

On this page10

The text Capitals and bold, then not bold Separate and apart It can be on any of three labels The numbering is part of the text No additions inside the block It is the same on a miniature Set it as text, never as an image Proof it against the regulation, not the last label References

It is a quotation, not a message. Nothing about it is yours to write.

The text

"GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems."

Capitals and bold, then not bold

"GOVERNMENT WARNING" appears in capital letters and bold type. The remainder of the statement does not. A label that bolds the whole thing for emphasis is not following the rule.

Separate and apart

The statement sits separate from all other information. It is not woven into the back-label story and it does not share a block with the ingredients or the distillery history.

It can be on any of three labels

The brand label, the front label, or a back or side label. That flexibility is the design freedom you have, and it is the only one.

The numbering is part of the text

The (1) and the (2) are in the regulation. Replacing them with bullets, or running the two statements together as a paragraph, is editing a quotation.

No additions inside the block

A "please drink responsibly" line of your own belongs elsewhere on the label. Putting it inside the warning block blurs what is quoted and what is yours.

It is the same on a miniature

A 50 mL bottle carries the whole statement. The type size minimum drops to 1 mm and the words do not change, which is why the miniature label is the hardest layout in this craft.

Set it as text, never as an image

A warning placed as a flattened graphic gets scaled with the artwork when the bottle size changes, and the type size silently goes with it. Held as live text at a specified size, it cannot.

Proof it against the regulation, not the last label

Copying the block from a previous product carries forward whatever was wrong with it. Compare it against the quoted text, word by word, every time a new label is drawn.

References

27 CFR 16.21, the health warning statement, required verbatim: "GOVERNMENT WARNING: (1) According to the Surgeon General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth defects. (2) Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate machinery, and may cause health problems." law.cornell.edu

27 CFR 16.22, legibility of the health warning. Minimum type size of 1 mm for containers of 237 mL or less, 2 mm above that through 3 L, and 3 mm above 3 L; "GOVERNMENT WARNING" in capitals and bold with the remainder not bold; characters not compressed, at a maximum density of 40 characters per inch at 1 mm falling to 12 at 3 mm; readily legible under ordinary conditions on a contrasting background; and labels affixed "in such manner that they cannot be removed without thorough application of water or other solvents". law.cornell.edu

Written from 27 CFR 5.63, 5.203, 16.21 and 16.22, and from the catalog as it stood on 17 October 2026. Distilled spirits are federally permitted and separately regulated by every state; label approval, permits and formula approval are outside what these pages cover, and nothing here is a substitute for TTB guidance on a specific product.