The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS) is a national

trade association A trade association, also known as an industry trade group, business association, sector association or industry body, is an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific Industry (economics), industry. Through collabor ...

representing producers and marketers of

distilled spirits Liquor ( , sometimes hard liquor), spirits, distilled spirits, or spiritous liquor are alcoholic drinks produced by the distillation of grains, fruits, vegetables, or sugar that have already gone through alcoholic fermentation. While the w ...

sold in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. DISCUS was formed in 1973 by the merger of three organizations (the Bourbon Institute, the Distilled Spirits Institute, and the Licensed Beverage Industries, Inc.) that had been in existence for decades.

About

Members of DISCUS represent approximately 70 percent of all distilled spirits brands sold in the United States. Members are: Agave Loco,

Beam Suntory Suntory Global Spirits Inc., formerly known as Beam Suntory, Inc., is an American beverage company that is a subsidiary of Suntory Holdings, a Japanese multinational beverage conglomerate. The company produces alcoholic beverages. It is the th ...

, Bacardi, Brown-Forman,

Campari Group Davide Campari-Milano N.V., trading as Campari Group, is an Italian company active since 1860 in the branded drink industry, beverage industry. It produces Distilled beverage, spirits, wines, and non-alcoholic apéritifs. From its signature produ ...

Constellation Brands Constellation Brands, Inc. is an American producer and marketer of beer, wine, and spirits. A ''Fortune'' 500 company, Constellation is the largest beer import company in the US, measured by sales, and has the third-largest market share (7.4 pe ...

, Edrington,

Jägermeister ( , ) is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, it has an alcohol by volume of 35% ( 61 degrees proof, or US 70 proof). The recipe has not changed since its creation, and the drink contin ...

, MGP, MHW, Moet Hennessy,

Pernod Ricard Pernod Ricard () is a French company best known for its anise-flavoured pastis apéritifs Pernod Anise and Ricard Pastis (often referred to simply as ''Pernod'' or '' Ricard''). The world's second-largest wine and spirits seller, it also produ ...

, and

Rémy Cointreau Rémy Cointreau is a French, family-owned business group specialized in the production and distribution of alcoholic beverages. The group's products include cognac (Rémy Martin, Louis XIII), triple sec ( Cointreau), the Greek spirit Metaxa, rum ...

. In addition to full membership, DISCUS offers a Craft Distiller Affiliate Member program with 80 members as of March 2014. In May 2016, DISCUS said it dropped its DISCUS acronym and would use "Distilled Spirits Council" for the short form of its name in order to "modernize the association's public presence". In 2018, it said it would further shorten the short form of its name to just "the Council". In 2019, under the guidance of the new CEO Chris Swonger, Distilled Spirits Council went back to using the full name, Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.

Standards

DISCUS developed a set of voluntary guidelines that they suggest the spirits industry and council members follow.Code of Responsible Practices for Beverage Alcohol Advertising and Marketing
DISCUS official web site. The code provides for a review board to review complaints about advertising and marketing materials in the marketplace. In 2003, DISCUS began issuing semi-annual public reports describing the review board complaints and decisions. As of March 2013, DISCUS has posted some "pre-publication" results on its website to show preliminary drafts of the content in its reports prior to publication of a final semi-annual code-of-conduct action report. (As of October 2016, the most recent semi-annual report on the DISCUS website was for a period that ended more than six years earlier.)

Lobbying efforts

DISCUS lobbies on behalf of the distilled spirits industry on policy and legislative issues. DISCUS's team of lawyers, economists, scientists, lobbyists and public affairs professionals work to support legislation that increases adult market access to spirits products, including laws expanding Sunday spirits sales and spirits tastings. DISCUS also works to protect the distilled beverage industry from increased alcohol taxes and to reduce tariffs and trade barriers on spirits products across the globe. In 2019, The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States launched an advocacy alliance initiative called "Spirits United" in coordination with TIPS, an alcohol server and seller training organization, and the American Distilling Institute. Spirits United is a grassroots website advocating for adult consumers to enjoy distilled spirits where they want, how they want, and when they want. Spirits United consists of professionals in the distilled spirits industry, partners, customers and consumers. By joining Spirits United, advocates have the opportunity to learn, influence, and engage on issues that impact the distilled spirits. Chris Swonger, president and CEO of DISCUS, said "Our goal is to build out Spirits United so that spirits advocates in any city or state can be quickly mobilized to engage with their elected officials."

Programs and funding

Alcohol abuse prevention

The spirits industry has initiated and supported responsibility programs to promote responsible and moderate alcohol consumption. DISCUS developed an educational tool kit and distributed it to more than 3,000 health professionals.Educational Tool Kit on Beverage Alcohol Consumption
, DISCUS official web site.

American Whiskey Trail and George Washington's distillery

DISCUS has launched several initiatives to promote and preserve the cultural history of distilling and spirits in the United States, most notably in the creation of the American Whiskey Trail and the reconstruction of the distillery built by

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

near his home at

Mount Vernon Mount Vernon is the former residence and plantation of George Washington, a Founding Father, commander of the Continental Army in the Revolutionary War, and the first president of the United States, and his wife, Martha. An American landmar ...

. Since 2000, DISCUS member companies and wholesalers have contributed more than $2.1 million to rebuild the distillery, which was one of the largest whiskey distilling operations in early America. Washington's Mount Vernon distillery marks the beginning of the organization's American Whiskey Trail, a DISCUS program promoting the cultural heritage and history of spirits in America. Launched in 2004, the trail features operating distilleries and historic sites in five states.

References

External links

* {{Official website, http://www.distilledspirits.org
American Whiskey Trail
from DISCUS official web site
George Washington's Distillery
from DISCUS official web site

from DISCUS official web site Trade associations based in the United States Alcohol industry trade associations Organizations established in 1973 501(c)(6) nonprofit organizations