India's food safety regulator has barred the sale of several popular whisky and rum brands manufactured by Diageo India, Inbrew Beverages and Mohan Rocky Springwater, alleging they used artificial or "nature-identical" flavouring instead of relying on proper ageing and natural ingredients to develop taste and aroma.

The action was taken by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which said its tests found certain manufacturers were adding flavours of the alcoholic beverage itself, such as rum flavour to rum and whisky flavour to whisky.

FSSAI Flags 'Sub-Standard' Products

According to the regulator, Indian food safety rules permit the use of natural flavouring substances in alcoholic beverages, but there is "no internationally recognised manufacturing practice" that allows manufacturers to add rum flavour to rum or whisky flavour to whisky.

FSSAI said such practices could enable companies to bypass the maturation process or avoid using natural ingredients such as molasses, malt or grapes. It described the products under scrutiny as "sub-standard" due to the presence of external artificial or nature-identical flavours.

Popular Brands Affected

The ban covers products manufactured at specific facilities, including United Spirits' Antiquity Blue Whisky and Royal Challenge Whisky, Inbrew Beverages' Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky and Old Cask Deluxe XXX Rum, as well as three variants of the iconic Old Monk rum produced by Mohan Rocky Springwater in Maharashtra.

Industry Raises Concerns

According to Reuters, two senior industry executives said companies believed the use of such flavouring complied with Indian regulations and were concerned about the regulator's decision.

It remains unclear whether the restriction applies only to products manufactured at the identified facilities or extends to the same brands produced elsewhere.

Heightened Regulatory Scrutiny

The latest action comes amid increased regulatory oversight by FSSAI across the food and beverage sector. The regulator has recently tightened norms for several products, including directing manufacturers of high-caffeine beverages to stop marketing them as "energy drinks."