The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has barred the sale of select whisky and rum variants manufactured by United Spirits, Inbrew Beverages and Mohan Rocky Springwater after laboratory tests found the presence of artificial or nature-identical flavouring that allegedly violates prescribed manufacturing standards.
The regulatory action covers Antiquity Blue Whisky and Royal Challenge Whisky manufactured by United Spirits in Madhya Pradesh, Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky and Old Cask Deluxe XXX Rum produced by Inbrew Beverages in Madhya Pradesh, and three variants of Old Monk manufactured by Mohan Rocky Springwater in Maharashtra.
According to FSSAI, the products were found to contain external artificial or nature-identical flavours used to replicate the taste and aroma of the alcoholic beverage itself. The regulator stated that while Indian food safety regulations permit the use of natural flavouring substances in alcoholic beverages, adding rum flavour to rum or whisky flavour to whisky does not conform to recognised manufacturing practices.
In a statement, FSSAI said there is no internationally recognised production method that involves adding whisky flavour to whisky or rum flavour to rum. The regulator argued that such practices could potentially circumvent established maturation processes and the use of traditional raw materials such as malt, molasses or grapes.
The authority classified the tested products as “sub-standard” due to the presence of external artificial or nature-identical flavours and directed that their sale be discontinued.
The development has triggered concern within the alcoholic beverages industry, with questions emerging over the interpretation of flavouring regulations and the scope of the order. It remains unclear whether the action applies only to products manufactured at the identified facilities or extends to the same brands produced at other locations.
The affected companies had not publicly responded to the regulator’s findings at the time of writing.
The move marks one of the most significant regulatory interventions in the Indian alcoholic beverages sector in recent years and comes amid heightened scrutiny by FSSAI across food and beverage categories. The regulator recently directed manufacturers of high-caffeine beverages marketed as energy drinks to discontinue the use of the term, signalling a broader push towards stricter compliance and product classification standards.
For the liquor industry, the order could have implications for manufacturing practices, quality control protocols and regulatory oversight, particularly within the mass-market Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) segment, where the affected brands command significant consumer reach.
