FSSAI told Bombay High Court that Old Monk cannot be sold as rum
Lab tests found it is made from neutral spirit with rum flavoring added on top. Matured rum spirit was less than 5% of blend, while label said 7 Years Old Blended. FSSAI says if you start with tasteless ethanol and add flavoring to mimic rum, you are selling flavored spirit, not rum.
Company loses Rs 1 Cr per day since ban. Diageo agreed to change labels on its brands, Old Monk is contesting in court.
This is not just Old Monk. FSSAI banned 10 variants across 3 makers. McDowell No.1 Rum, Antiquity Blue Whisky, Royal Challenge Whisky, Bagpiper Deluxe all got caught using artificial flavoring to mimic taste of real spirits.
India drinks over 440mn 9-liter cases per year. Most of it starts as ENA, which is cheap, colorless, 96% pure ethanol. Entire mass-market IMFL segment depends on it. FSSAI now says sell it if you want, but call it what it is - Flavored spirit, not rum or whisky
Most Indian whisky sold at mass market level is made from sugarcane molasses, not grain that technically makes it rum by international definition.
India is biggest whisky market by volume on Earth, yet most of what sells as whisky here cannot legally be called whisky in Europe or US. Premiumization is slowly changing this.
Amrut and Rampur use grain-based distilling and win global recognition But they serve high end only. For mass IMFL brands built on cheap neutral alcohol and flavoring shortcuts, FSSAI ruling forces expensive choices.
Reformulate or relabel :(
someone didn't like it and take it personal 😉😉
September 5, 2026 1.7K 3
