India's FSSAI bans ten whisky and rum brands for artificial flavouring

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has prohibited the sale of ten whisky and rum products after laboratory tests revealed the use of external artificial or nature‑identical flavours that mimic the beverage itself. The bans affect brands from Diageo’s Indian unit United Spirits, Inbrew Beverages, Mohan Rocky Springwater and Associated Alcohol & Breweries, including Old Monk variants, McDowell’s No. 1 Rum, Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky, Old Cask Deluxe XXX Rum, Antiquity Blue Whisky, Royal Challenge Whisky, Central Province Whisky and McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Matured XXX Rum. The regulator said such products are “sub‑standard” and mislead consumers by bypassing natural maturation and by using misleading age claims such as “7 years old blended”. FSSAI ordered that these drinks be labelled as “rum‑flavoured spirit” or “whisky‑flavoured spirit” to reflect their true nature. Diageo and Inbrew have indicated they will challenge the orders in court. The enforcement action was announced in early August 2026.