On December 18, 2015, President Obama signed into law the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes Act of 2015 (“PATH Act”) (LINK). The PATH Act provides for changes to the definition of “hard cider,” which will bring valuable tax rate changes for some makers of cider and perry. Currently, “hard cider” is defined as a “still wine derived primarily from apples or apple concentrate and water, containing no other fruit product, and containing at least one-half of 1 percent and less than 7 percent alcohol by volume.” 26 U.S.C. § 5041(b)(6). Because the current definition of hard cider states that the wine must be still, the definition excludes ciders with carbonation in excess of 0.392 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 milliliters. 26 U.S.C. § 5041(a). The current definition also excludes perry, which is wine made from pears. Finally, the alcohol content of many wines made from cider apples ranges from approximately 5% to 8.5% alcohol by volume, and cider products with more than 7% alcohol do not meet the current hard cider definition.

Beverages that meet the definition of hard cider are taxed at the rate of 22.6 cents per gallon. 26 U.S.C. § 5041(b)(6). This rate is much more favorable than the $1.07 per gallon tax rate on still table wines, as well as the $3.40 per gallon tax rate on sparkling wines, and the $3.30 per gallon tax on artificially carbonated wines. 26 U.S.C. § 5041(b). Passage of the PATH Act will be welcome news to the cider and perry producers who have advocated for an expansion of the definition of hard cider in order to get the lower tax rate. Beginning on January 1, 2017, the definition of hard cider will be a wine that meets the following parameters:

• Contains not more than 0.64 grams of carbon dioxide per 100 milliliters;
• Made from apples, pears, or concentrate of apples or pears and water;
• Contains no other fruit product or fruit flavoring other than apple or pear; and
• Contains at least 0.5% and less than 8.5% alcohol by volume.

For more information on cider and perry, see our July 29, 2015 blog post “Comparing Apples and Pears” (LINK), and contact one of the attorneys at Strike Kerr & Johns for further guidance.

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