Expanding The Table: ACSA Welcomes Craft Brands into Voting Membership

The craft spirits industry is evolving and so is the American Craft Spirits Association (ACSA). Today, ACSA announced an important update to its bylaws, expanding its voting membership to include Craft Brands alongside Craft Distillers. This change reflects a simple but powerful idea: the craft spirits community is strongest when more voices have a seat at the table.

This expansion recognizes the growing role of brand-led businesses and contract producers, while maintaining ACSA’s core standards around independence and scale. Most importantly, it ensures that more of the people building this industry have a voice in shaping its future.

Under the updated bylaws, voting membership is now open to two categories:

• “Craft Distiller” means an entity holding a federally granted Distilled Spirits Plant licenses (“DSPs”) that also meet the criteria below:
  • DSPs whose annual production of distilled spirits from all sources does not exceed 750,000 proof gallons removed from bond
  • Produce fewer than 750,001 proof gallons removed from bond (combined annual production from all sources)
  • Subscribes to ACSA’s Code of Ethics
  • A DSP may not be a Voting Member if another producer of distilled spirits whose combined annual production of distilled spirits from all sources exceeds 750,000 proof gallons removed from bond has more than a 25% equity stake and has operating control over the DSP. “Operating control” for purposes of this Section means access to and management of the distillery operations.
• “Craft Brand”, means an entity that:
  • Owns and/or operates a distilled spirits brand produced in the United States
  • Creates, produces, or processes (through contract manufacturing) fewer than 750,001 proof gallons removed from bond
  • Subscribes to ACSA’s Code of Ethics
  • No more than 25% owned (directly or indirectly) by a producer or brand of distilled spirits whose combined annual sales and/or annual production of distilled spirits from all sources exceeds 750,000 proof gallons removed from bond.

If you’ve been building a craft spirits brand and wondering where you fit in, there’s now a place for you at the table. To learn more about membership eligibility or to apply, visit americancraftspirits.org.