India Amends Alcoholic Beverages Standards

On August 24, 2023, Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI) issued the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) First Amendment Regulations, 2023, which relates to definition and labels. The amendment will come into effect on March 1, 2024.

Revision of definition

FSSAI revises the definition of single malt whisky (marked in orange) and introduces the definition for single grain whisky under single malt whisky.

• Single malt whisky is now defined as a distillate obtained from fermented mash that consists of malted barley without being added with any other grain, which is distilled in pot still only and produced in a single distillery. Previously it was defined as a distillate obtained from "one particular malted grain or malted barley".

• Single grain whisky is a distillate obtained from fermented mash that consists of malted or unmalted grain, and is produced in a single distillery. Single grain whisky shall not include single malt whisky and blended malt whisky or blended grain whisky.

Revision of labels

FSSAI adds an exception for the previous prohibition on providing nutritional information on the label of alcoholic beverage.

• Alcoholic beverage shall not contain any nutritional information on the label except energy content in kcal. Such declaration related to energy content shall be voluntary.