commerce
Small batch
No legal definition
A marketing term implying a bottling was assembled from a limited number of casks. It has no quantitative meaning.
Not a legal term
No whisky regulation in Scotland, Ireland, the United States, the EU or Japan defines this. It is a trade or marketing term, so it is only actionable if its use is actively misleading.
Worth knowing
TTB's 2022 rewrite of 27 CFR part 5 declined to define 'small batch', 'handcrafted', 'handmade' or 'artisanal', so a 'small batch' can be tens of thousands of barrels. Such claims are actionable only if misleading under general consumer-protection law.
Related terms
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · All glossary terms