Updated July 2026.
Empress taste is not a TTB class. Empress 1908 is a gin SKU. US gin must take its main flavor from juniper and be bottled at 40% or more. The purple, color-shifting look is butterfly-pea branding — not a legal type. Typical gin bottles print 40% or a hair higher. A 1.5-ounce pour at 40% is one NIAAA drink.
Related: gin taste, gin for a martini, gin vs vodka.
Label vs pour
| Language | 1.5 oz drinks |
|---|---|
| US gin | 1.00 at 40% |
| Empress 1908 | Read the neck |
| Color change | — |
| Typical gin bottle | 1.00 at 40% |
A 750 mL 40% bottle is about 17 drinks. Four pours are four drinks. Pour math: shot drinks.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.144. Official Empress ABV unused.
- NIAAA December 2025. Color is not a legal type.
- 27 CFR 5.144; juniper; ≥40%
- (27 CFR 5.144)