New Delhi: Monday brought a bad taste in the mouth for alcohol lovers in India as the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) barred the sale of certain variants of popular liquor brands, including Old Monk, Antiquity Blue Whisky, Royal Challenge Whisky and Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky.
The reason?
The country’s food safety regulator has found that these liquor brands contained artificial flavouring which does not comply with prescribed manufacturing standards, reported Reuters.
FSSAI said its tests found that some products manufactured by Diageo India’s United Spirits, Inbrew Beverages and Mohan Rocky Springwater used external artificial or nature-identical flavours to achieve the taste and aroma of alcoholic beverages instead of relying on natural ingredients and proper maturation processes.
A ban has been ordered on — 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 Madhya Pradesh; three variants of Old Monk manufactured by Mohan Rocky Springwater in Maharashtra.
It’s not clear whether FSSAI’s action applies to products manufactured at these specific facilities, or is applicable to same brands produced elsewhere.
Neither FSSAI nor the liquor companies in question respond to Reuters’ queries seeking clarification.
“There is no internationally recognised manufacturing practice whereby rum flavour is added to rum or whisky flavour is added to whisky,” FSSAI said in a statement, adding that such practices could allow manufacturers to bypass proper maturation or the use of natural ingredients such as molasses, malt or grapes in the production process.
The regulator concluded that the tested products were “sub-standard due to the presence of external artificial or nature identical flavours in the product.”
India is one of the largest alcohol markets in the world, with an annual estimated revenue of around $40 billion.
