The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has initiated enforcement action against several alcoholic beverage manufacturers — including makers of Old Monk, McDowell's, Bagpiper, Antiquity Blue and Royal Challenge — over the alleged use of non-permitted flavouring practices and misleading age-related claims, Business Today reported. The regulator said inspections and laboratory testing found that some manufacturers were adding external "rum flavour" to rum and "whisky flavour" to whisky instead of allowing the characteristic taste and aroma to develop naturally through raw materials, fermentation, distillation and maturation.
What changed
According to FSSAI, such products are being marketed as standard rum or whisky despite being predominantly made from neutral alcohol or extra neutral alcohol, which lacks the inherent flavour profile of these beverages. The authority said these products should instead be labelled as "Rum-flavoured Spirit" or "Whisky-flavoured Spirit" to accurately reflect their nature.
Few manufacturers are found to add flavour externally, which mimics the product's inherent aroma and taste, and sell the same as a standard product, thereby misleading consumers. The potential need for the addition of such flavour is observed due to an existing malpractice wherein manufacturers, instead of creating products through maturation and/or from base materials such as molasses, malt, or grapes to develop their flavour naturally, use spirit/neutral alcohol primarily, which has no specific flavour and therefore add flavour externally.
Such products are not only sub-standard but are also misrepresented by using the names of standard categories. At best, they can be identified as Rum-flavoured Spirit or Whisky-flavoured Spirit, etc. Further, the front of the pack completely fails to disclose the true nature of the product.
FSSAI said failing to disclose the true nature of the product on the front of the pack amounted to misleading consumers and violated the Food Safety and Standards (Labelling and Display) Regulations, 2020.
Who is affected
Based on laboratory findings, FSSAI prohibited the sale of specific products manufactured by four companies:
| Manufacturer | Products flagged |
|---|---|
| Mohan Rocky Springwater | Old Monk variants |
| United Spirits | McDowell's No. 1 Rum; Antiquity Blue Whisky; Royal Challenge Whisky |
| Inbrew Beverages | Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky; Old Cask Deluxe XXX Rum |
| Associated Alcohol & Breweries | Central Province Whisky; McDowell's No. 1 Celebration Matured XXX Rum |
The regulator also carried out inspections and sampling at Mandexi Distilleries & Breweries in Goa and issued notices to six other manufacturers in Maharashtra, with further action expected.
Age claim violation
FSSAI separately flagged the "7 Years Old Blended" claim on an Old Monk XXX Rum variant as misleading. It said investigations found that the product primarily contained unaged neutral spirit, while matured rum spirit constituted less than 5% of the blend. Under existing regulations, the age statement must correspond to the youngest spirit in the blend.
The claim of '7 years old blended' in the label of Old monk XXX Rum variant was also found to be misleading. The major ingredient of the rum is neutral (unmatured/unaged) spirit, while the matured rum spirit is only a minor ingredient of the rum (less than 5% as per investigation findings). This is also a clear violation of existing regulations, as the age claim of the spirit should be from the youngest of spirit in the blend as per FSS (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations. 2018.
Compliance obligations
- Do not market products made predominantly from neutral alcohol and external flavour as standard rum or whisky.
- Use the descriptions "Rum-flavoured Spirit" or "Whisky-flavoured Spirit" on the front of the pack when external flavour identical to the beverage itself is added.
- Disclose the true nature of the product on the front of the pack.
- Ensure any age claim reflects the youngest spirit in the blend, per the FSS (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018.
FSSAI clarified that it is not banning the use of flavouring substances such as coffee or vanilla where permitted by law. The issue, it said, is the addition of flavour identical to the alcoholic beverage itself — such as "rum flavour" added to rum or "whisky flavour" added to whisky. Laboratory reports described several sampled products as "sub-standard", stating that the addition of artificial or nature-identical flavours masked their natural characteristics.
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