The US Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF) was founded in 1972. It was originally part of the Department of the Treasury, where it took over the responsibilities of the former Alcohol and Tobacco Tax Division within the Internal Revenue Service.

In 2003, it was assigned to the Department of Justice as part of the reorganisation under the Homeland Security Act. Its main tasks were to combat violent crime and protect the public in connection with alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives. Specifically, the authority was responsible, for example, for taxation, the authorisation of labels, the movement of alcohol between the states and protection against adulteration.
![]()
Serious sources on the internet are rare - and Wine lexicon from wein.plus is one such source. When researching for my articles, I regularly consult the wein.plus encyclopaedia. There I get reliable and detailed information.
Thomas Götz
Weinberater, Weinblogger und Journalist; Schwendi