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Official guidance
Duty Free Spirits Guidance

DFS7000 · Glossary

  • DFS7010 · Glossary of terms
  1. Glossary: Contents
  2. Glossary: Glossary of terms

DFS7010 | Glossary: Glossary of terms

From HM Revenue & Customs · Duty Free Spirits Guidance

TermExplanation
Advice CentreThe Excise and Inland Customs Advice Centre
AlcoholEthyl alcohol or ethanol.
Art or manufactureNot defined in law, but is interpreted as including manufacturing and related processes, scientific or medical research and teaching.
Authorised UserA person authorised to receive and use spirits under section78 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2023.
CEMAThe Customs and Excise Management Act 1979.
CompoundTo combine or mix spirits with any other substance so as to produce British Compounded Spirits (BCS), without distilling.
DEBAlcohol denatured with Bitrex and Tertiary Butyl Alcohol - it can be used in cosmetics and perfume.
Denatured AlcoholEthanol with agreed formula of chemicals added to deter use as alcoholic beverages, yet allow the alcohol to be used for various industrial uses. See Notice 473 (HMRC web)
DenaturantAn approved substance that is added to spirits to make them unpalatable.
DistillerA person holding a licence to manufacture spirits whether or not the process used is actually distillation.
Duty Free Spirits (DFS)Spirits delivered free of excise duty under section 78 of the Finance (No. 2) Act 2023
ECThe European Community.
EsterAn organic compound produced when an alcohol (ethyl, methyl, etc) reacts chemically with an acid.
EtherAn organic compound in which 2 hydrocarbon radicals are joined by an atom of oxygen.
Excise dutyA charge levied for fiscal purposes, at the same rate on home-produced and imported spirits.
HMWRThe Excise Goods (Holding, Movement Warehousing and REDS) Regulations 1992.
MarkerA chemical compound with properties similar to ethanol, which is difficult to remove after mixing with spirits, and which therefore remains in the mixture as a ‘tracer’ or ‘policeman’.
Methylated spiritsOld term for Denatured Alcohol
Plain British SpiritsSpirits in their original state, manufactured in the United Kingdom, and without artificial flavour.
PotableFit to drink.
RTRThe Revenue Traders (Accounts and Records) Regulations 1992.
SpiritsEthanol (otherwise known as ethyl alcohol).
Tax warehouseA premises approved for the production, processing, holding, receipt or dispatch of excise goods under duty-suspension arrangements.
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