The European Court ruled that gin cannot be non-alcoholic 0 6

This decision was made during the consideration of a lawsuit by the German association Verband Sozialer Wettbewerb against the company PB Vi Goods, which sold a non-alcoholic beverage called Virgin Gin Alkoholfrei.

The court ruled that EU Regulation 2019/787 explicitly prohibits the use of the term "non-alcoholic gin" as the beverage does not meet the definition of gin, which requires the presence of ethyl alcohol of agricultural origin and a minimum strength of 37.5%.

The ban does not violate the freedom to conduct business, as it does not prohibit the sale of the product itself, but only the use of the protected name "gin".

Earlier, in 2024, the EU court ruled that vegan sausages and burgers have the same right to their names as their meat counterparts. In 2023, the cheese lobby from Switzerland failed to prove in the EU court that the cheese brand "Emmental" should belong exclusively to Switzerland.