11th March, 2015 by Melita Kiely 
 
 Despite having already been banned in several states, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) has approved the sale of powdered alcohol brand Palcohol in the US. 
 
 According to Palcohol founder Mark Phillips, after four years the TTB finally approved the sale of the controversial concept on Tuesday, although official confirmation from the TTB is yet to be announced. 
 
 “Over the last 10 months I’ve been working with the TTB to work out all of the issues to make a powdered alcohol product conform to laws that classified alcohol as liquid,” said Phillips. 
 
 “It’s done. The FDA and TTB have reviewed and tested Palcohol every which way and they’ve given me the green light to sell it in the United States.” 
 
 Palcohol has faced fierce debate over the past year with a string of states moving to ban the brand, including Ohio, Colorado and New York, arguing Palcohol is a “public health risk too great to ignore”. 
 
 However, Phillips has hit back at the claims and said his next mission is to stop states from banning his product based on “misinformation and ignorant speculation”. 
 
 “It is hypocritical to ban powdered alcohol and not liquid alcohol,” he said. “We believe the big liquor companies are using their money and lobbyists to encourage bills to be introduced to ban powdered alcohol to protect their market share and profits. 
 
 “There are no valid reasons to ban powdered alcohol. The two federal agencies that have jurisdiction over alcohol, the FDA and the TTB, have reviewed Palcohol and tested it and found no problems with allowing it to go forward to be approved for sale.” 
 
 He condemned those who had a “knee-jerk reaction” and banned Palcohol based on speculation as “irresponsible”, and continued to claim that such a move would lead to black markets, underage use and loss of tax revenue for states. 
 
 “Because of those reasons, powdered alcohol should be legal, regulated and taxed just like liquid alcohol,” he added. ||||| NEW YORK (AP) — A powdered alcohol intended to be mixed up into drinks has gained approval from a federal agency. 
 
 The product, called Palcohol, had received the greenlight from the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau briefly last year before the bureau backtracked and said the label approvals had been given in error. 
 
 On Wednesday, bureau spokesman Tom Hogue told The Associated Press the issues were resolved and that four varieties of Palcohol were approved. But Hogue noted that states can also regulate alcohol sales in their borders. 
 
 The approval is a step forward for a small company whose product plans have already sparked controversy. 
 
 Several states have already moved to ban powdered alcohol, including lawmakers in Colorado who last month advanced legislation to temporarily halt its sale. Concerns have included abuse by minors and whether Palcohol's light weight would make it easy to sneak alcohol into public events. 
 
 Palcohol would come in a pouch, with water being added to the powder inside for the equivalent of an alcoholic drink. 
 
 A statement on the Palcohol website says the company hopes to have the product for sale this summer. Palcohol founder Mark Phillips noted the approval of his product in an email early Wednesday morning, but wasn't immediately available for further comment. 
 
 Hogue said the bureau's evaluation is centered on whether labels accurately reflect what's in the product. 
 
 "Potential for abuse isn't grounds for us to deny a label," he said. 
 
 Previously, Phillips had said he came up with the idea for Palcohol because he wanted a way to enjoy alcoholic drinks after hiking or other activities without having to lug around heavy bottles. ||||| 1. Who created it and what exactly is it? A guy named Mark Phillips. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Imagine a Margarita on a counter. And then imagine if you could snap your fingers and it would turn into powder. That's Palcohol....without the magic. Palcohol is just a powder version of vodka, rum and three cocktails....with the same alcoholic content. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Why create Palcohol? Mark is an active guy...hiking, biking, camping, kayaking, etc. After hours of an activity, he sometimes wanted to relax and enjoy a refreshing adult beverage. But those activities, and many others, don't lend themselves to lugging heavy bottles of wine, beer or spirits. The only liquid he wanted to carry was water. 
 
 
 
 
 
 So he thought? Wouldn't it be great to have alcohol in powder form so all one had to do is add water? Since powder is light and compact, it wouldn't be a burden to carry. Mark searched for powdered alcohol and it wasn't available. Over a few years, with the help of scientists around the world, Mark was able to create powdered alcohol. So he began his quest to create it. After years of research, experimentation and consultation with scientists around the world, he finally came up with powdered alcohol and called it Palcohol. 
 
 
 
 Now Palcohol is here. One package weighs about an ounce. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. What is the alcoholic content when consuming it? Palcohol, when used as directed, by adding six ounces of liquid to it, is equal to a standard mixed drink. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. What's in it? It varies per version but basically, alcohol....and in the cocktail versions, natural flavorings and Sucralose as a sweetener. The ingredients of each version are listed on the front of the package. Palcohol is gluten free. 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. How is it made? If we told you, we'd have to shoot you. 
 
 
 
 
 
 6. What flavors are there? We plan on releasing five versions sold in a pouch that is the equivalent to one shot of alcohol: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 V which is powder made from premium vodka distilled four times. 
 
 R which is powder made from premium Puerto Rican rum 
 
 
 
 
 
 V and R can be used two ways. One way is by adding six ounces of your favorite mixer to make a Rum and Coke, Vodka and Orange Juice, etc. Another option is adding six ounces of water to the powder and then adding a flavored drink powder to make it any flavor you want. The result is equivalent to one average mixed drink. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 The three cocktail versions are: 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Cosmopolitan 
 
 Powderita - tastes just like a Margarita 
 
 
 
 Lemon Drop 
 
 
 
 
 
 Just add water to these three flavors for an instant cocktail. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. Who owns Palcohol? Palcohol is owned by a privately held company called Lipsmark. There are no investment opportunities at this time nor do we plan on going public anytime soon. 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. Are we looking for investors, distributors or employees? We are looking for distributors in each country. Click on the Auction link above. We are not looking for employees or investors at this time. 
 
 
 
 
 
 9. Where will it be sold? Think of Palcohol as liquor....just in powder form. It will be sold anywhere where liquor can be sold and a buyer must be of legal drinking age to buy it. It will be available both in the United States and abroad and it can also be bought online. 
 
 
 
 
 
 10. When will it be available? As soon as we can. We're working on it. No samples will be released ahead of time. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11. What is the calorie content? Well, it depends on what liquid you add to it. The powder by itself is about 80 calories per bag. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

– Powdered alcohol should be available this summer, unless your particular state forbids it. The federal government today approved the sale of "Palcohol," a powdered version of alcohol that transforms into a boozy drink with the addition of water or a mixer, reports the AP. (Earlier federal approval was actually granted in error, but this one is the real deal.) Several states already have moved to ban the stuff, fearful that it would make it too easy for minors to sneak drinks pretty much wherever they wanted. Each packet of Palcohol weighs about an ounce and packs the equivalent of a shot of alcohol, according to the company's website. Different versions, including vodka and rum, will be available. Founder Mark Phillips says he hopes to have it on the market this summer, and he says states banning it are doing so because of "misinformation and ignorant speculation" spread by liquor companies, reports the Spirits Business website. “It is hypocritical to ban powdered alcohol and not liquid alcohol."