India Bans Sale Of Popular Rum And Whisky Brand Variants Over Artificial Flavouring

Published 3 August 2026 · india

India Bans Sale Of Popular Rum And Whisky Brand Variants Over Artificial Flavouring Published By, Last Updated: August 03, 2026, 15:28 IST FSSAI has banned

India Bans Sale Of Popular Rum And Whisky Brand Variants Over Artificial Flavouring Published By, Last Updated: August 03, 2026, 15:28 IST FSSAI has banned the sale of select Antiquity Blue, Royal Challenge, Bagpiper and Old Monk variants after tests found artificial flavouring. India Bans Sale Of Select Antiquity Blue, Royal Challenge, Old Monk Variants Over Artificial Flavouring India’s food safety regulator has prohibited the sale of some variants of select whisky and rum brands manufactured by Diageo India’s United Spirits, Inbrew Beverages and Mohan Rocky Springwater, according to a Reuters report. The action was announced by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) after finding the use of artificial flavouring in products that should derive their taste and aroma through ageing and natural ingredients.

Quoting the FSSAI, Reuters reported that laboratory tests found some manufacturing units were adding flavours of the alcoholic beverage itself, such as rum flavour to rum and whisky flavour to whisky, instead of relying on conventional production methods. “There is no internationally recognised manufacturing practice whereby rum flavour is added to rum or whisky flavour is added to whisky," the regulator said in a statement issued late Sunday. The FSSAI said Indian food safety regulations permit the use of natural flavouring substances in alcoholic beverages. However, the regulator alleged that the products tested contained external artificial or nature-identical flavours, making them “sub-standard." According to the report, the regulator said such practices could enable manufacturers to bypass essential production processes, including proper maturation or the use of natural raw materials such as molasses, malt or grapes to develop flavour.

The ban applies to 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 the same state, and three variants of the iconic Old Monk rum manufactured by Mohan Rocky Springwater in Maharashtra, the report mentioned. It remains unclear whether the restriction applies only to products manufactured at the identified facilities or extends to the same brands produced at other manufacturing units. The development comes as the FSSAI intensifies oversight of the food and beverage sector. The report mentioned that the regulator recently directed manufacturers of high-caffeine beverages marketed as “energy drinks" to stop using that description, despite attempts by companies including Pepsi and Red Bull to delay the regulatory action.