- Undenatured ethyl alcohol of an alcoholic strength by volume of 80% volume or higher;
- Ethyl alcohol and other spirits,denatured, of any strength.
All material produced by EPASA Members is covered by this broad description and sub-headings (2207.10 and 2207.20) distinguish between the undenatured and denatured material, respectively. The terms ethyl alcohol and ethanol are used interchangeably and the term alcohol is also commonly used.
In practice it is sometimes necessary to define the ethanol more closely. The absence of water is indicated by the term anhydrous (or absolute) and the presence of water by the term hydrous, The source may be indicated, i.e., fermentation or synthetic and Sometimes the application is specified; thus potable, industrial or fuel. A detailed example could thus be, “undenatured, anhydrous, fermentation ethanol”, though in practice a shorter description is generally used, as the context assists in defining the product.
The liquor industry, by legislation, may only use fermentation ethanol, but has developed its own terminology to indicate the individual vegetable substrates used in the fermentation.
Thus;
A spirit (or grape spirit) is derived from grapes,
C spirit (or cane spirit) is derived from sugar cane and
G spirit (or grain spirit) is derived from grain.
The liquor industry’s stringent requirements has led to even more detailed description of particular grades of potable ethanol, for example, High Purity Extra Neutral Potable Alcohol.
The imminent introduction of ethanol extended petrol (biofuel) is expected to follow international nomenclature of E followed by an integer(s) to indicate the fuel ethanol content. Thus E 2 would be petrol extended with 2% ethanol and E 95 would be ethanol denatured with 5% petrol. The term bio-ethanol is discouraged, as liquor is also bio-ethanol. Fuel ethanol is more appropriate.