FSSAI Prohibits Sale of Major Liquor Brands Over Added Flavourings and Age Claims

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited the sale of several prominent spirits brands following laboratory tests that revealed non-compliance with statutory standards. Flagged products include expressions of United Spirits’ Royal Challenge Whisky and McDowell’s No.1 Rum, Mohan Rocky Springwater’s Old Monk Rum, and Inbrew Beverages’ Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky.

What Happened

The FSSAI issued formal notices under the 2018 Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations after laboratory evaluations identified the use of unauthorised external flavourings and misleading age-related declarations. The regulator stated that some distillers were adding external artificial or nature-identical flavourings to mask natural flavours and mimic standard profiles, resulting in substandard products.

Multiple production facilities and brands were cited across different states:

• United Spirits (Diageo India): The company’s Baramati facility in Maharashtra was flagged for McDowell’s No.1 Rum, while its Madhya Pradesh distillery was cited for Antiquity Blue and Royal Challenge whiskies.
• Associated Alcohol & Breweries: Banned for producing McDowell’s No.1 Celebration Rum and Central Province Whisky in Madhya Pradesh.
• Inbrew Beverages: Flagged in Madhya Pradesh, leading to a prohibition on Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky and Old Cask Deluxe Rum.
• Mohan Rocky Springwater: Banned in Maharashtra for three Old Monk Rum expressions, specifically The Legend, Gold Reserve, and XXX Matured Rum.
• Other Actions: Inspections and sampling occurred at Mandexi Distilleries & Breweries in Goa, alongside notices issued to six additional manufacturers in Maharashtra.

Key Highlights

• Unauthorised Flavourings: The FSSAI highlighted the practice of adding rum flavour directly to rum or whisky flavour to whisky, noting that international standards do not recognise adding identical flavours to replicate natural maturation or base materials such as molasses, malt, or grapes.
• Misleading Age Declarations: Tests on Old Monk’s ‘seven years old blended’ rum showed that neutral unaged spirit formed the primary ingredient, while matured rum spirit accounted for less than 5% of the blend. Regulations require the declared age to correspond to the youngest spirit in the blend.
• Labelling Requirements: The authority determined that products using such flavourings must be labelled transparently as ‘rum-flavoured’ or ‘whisky-flavoured’ spirits, or ‘flavoured/premix rum’, rather than being sold under standard category names.
• Legal Challenge: United Spirits filed a Writ Petition in the Bombay High Court on 1 August challenging the FSSAI’s order regarding its Baramati unit, asserting that its product labels align with Indian regulations and established industry practices.
• Conditional Revocation: Following appeals, the FSSAI granted conditional relaxation to two unnamed producers, permitting the sale of existing inventory if packaging clearly discloses the true nature of the product, while banning the addition of such flavours in future production.

Why This Matters

The regulatory enforcement directly addresses transparency in consumer labelling and standard category definitions for alcoholic beverages. The FSSAI clarified that while legitimate flavouring substances like coffee or vanilla remain permissible where technologically justified, adding synthetic spirit flavourings to standardized categories fails to meet regulatory definitions and masks the genuine product composition.

What to Watch Next

Further developments hinge on the ongoing legal proceedings at the Bombay High Court initiated by United Spirits. Additionally, the FSSAI has indicated that further actions will follow regarding the six other manufacturers issued notices in Maharashtra.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why were these alcoholic beverage brands banned?

The FSSAI prohibited the sale of specific product expressions due to laboratory findings showing unauthorised external flavourings that mimic standardized profiles and deceptive age claims that violate packaging norms.

Are all flavourings prohibited in alcoholic drinks?

No. The FSSAI stated that manufacturers may use flavouring substances like vanilla or coffee when permitted by law with technological justification. The ban specifically addresses the addition of identical spirit flavourings (such as whisky flavour in whisky) to mimic natural maturation.

How has the industry responded?

Diageo’s Indian arm, United Spirits, challenged the FSSAI’s order in the Bombay High Court, maintaining that its labels comply with regulatory frameworks and industry norms. Two manufacturers also secured conditional relief to sell existing stock with corrected disclosures.

Source: The Spirits Business