The EU’s Court of Justice has ruled that non-alcoholic drinks cannot be described or labelled as “gin”, confirming that the term is reserved exclusively for spirit drinks made from ethyl alcohol, flavoured with juniper, and containing at least 37.5% ABV.
The case centred on a German challenge to a product marketed as Virgin Gin Alkoholfrei. The manufacturer argued the name clearly signalled its alcohol-free status, but judges ruled that adding “non-alcoholic” does not make the use of “gin” permissible under EU law. The product can remain on sale, but only under a new name.
This follows the EU’s decision last month to prohibit the use of key “meaty” terms for describing plant-based versions of certain foods.