Tax Stamps?

[cas]

When did tax stamps cease to be used, and what change in law or regulation caused this to occur? Also, apparently from some other threads it seems that some companies used fake tax stamps for a period - to preserve the look..., I suppose. Can anybody fill in the blanks on how this change happened?

Craig

[TNbourbon]

The Reagan Administration shepherded the law which eliminated the federal tax stamps in 1982 -- they disappeared from use in 1984, though many distilleries continued to use an unnumbered strip-stamp as a quality seal even into the '90s. Some states continued using their own tax stamps for several more years. Tennessee was one of the last, discontinuing stamps in 1992.

The so-called 'fake' tax stamp, however, is one that is actually a part of the plastic capsule seal, which some whiskey bottlings -- Jack Daniel's, Ezra Brooks, for example -- used. It was not actually a strip stamp at all, but simply artwork that was part of the capsule.

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

My bottle of Old Grand Dad 114 has a paper fake tax stamp. I bought it a few days ago.

Back in the 90's I sometimes saw Jim Beam White label with a paper tax stamp here in Japan, don't know if it was fake or not. I could taste the difference, the JB with the tax stamp was noticeably better than that with out.

Ed

[TNbourbon]

Ed, we may be using different terminology to name the same thing. I think what you're calling a 'fake' paper seal is what I've termed an 'unnumbered strip stamp', which is simply the old paper seal without tax numbers on it.

You can see what I've always known as 'fake' stamp seals -- on which the stamp is not actually paper at all, but simply a design element of the plastic strink-wrap capsule -- here:

Jack Daniel's 'Fake' tax seals

(click on "Black Label Bottles" and then "Fake Sealed" on the pull-down menu)

[Edward_call_me_Ed]

Hi Tim,

Thanks for the clarification.

Ed