FSSAI Bans Sale of Select United Spirits and Inbrew Liquor Products

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited the sale of select whisky and rum products manufactured in Madhya Pradesh by United Spirits and Inbrew Beverages over alleged violations related to flavour additives and product labelling.

The affected products include United Spirits' Antiquity Blue Whisky and Royal Challenge Whisky, along with Inbrew Beverages' Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky and Old Cask Deluxe XXX Rum.

According to reports, laboratory tests detected artificial or nature-identical flavouring substances in the products. The Health Ministry stated that these additives were used to recreate the characteristic aroma and taste associated with standard whisky and rum.

FSSAI said that adding whisky flavour to whisky or rum flavour to rum could mask the beverages' natural characteristics and mislead consumers about their composition and quality.

Under the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, products containing such additives cannot be sold simply as standard whisky or rum. They must instead be labelled according to their composition, such as "whisky-flavoured spirit" or "rum-flavoured spirit", with the declaration displayed prominently on the front of the pack.

The regulator clarified that flavouring substances are permitted in alcoholic beverages where there is a legitimate technological justification. However, the concern in this case relates to flavours that imitate the defining sensory characteristics of the beverage itself.

The enforcement action also covered product age declarations. In one instance, a rum carrying a "7 years old blended" claim was found to consist mainly of neutral, unaged spirit, with matured rum accounting for less than 5 percent of the blend. Under the regulations, the declared age of a blended spirit must correspond to the youngest spirit used in the blend.

FSSAI stated that the action applies only to the specific manufacturers and products found to be in violation of the prescribed standards and is not directed at the alcoholic beverage industry as a whole.