Diageo to reformulate India whisky, rum brands following flavouring dispute
Regulatory scrutiny puts formulation and labelling practices under the spotlight.
INDIA – Diageo’s India unit, United Spirits, has agreed to reformulate several of its whisky and rum products in India following regulatory action over the use of added flavouring substances, as reported by Reuters.
This shift will potentially pave the way for India’s food safety regulator to lift sales restrictions on the affected products.
The agreement follows a wider crackdown by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on alcoholic beverage manufacturers over concerns about flavouring, product composition and labelling.
The regulator had prohibited sales of selected products from Diageo’s Indian business, United Spirits, after laboratory testing identified artificial or “nature-identical” flavours in some whisky and rum products.
Government sources said Diageo has agreed to remove the use of flavourings that replicate the characteristic taste of the alcoholic beverage itself.
The affected portfolio includes Antiquity Blue and Royal Challenge whiskies and McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Matured XXX Rum.
The changes are expected to apply across Indian production rather than being limited to the states where sales restrictions were imposed.
The dispute centres on the distinction between permitted flavouring and flavouring intended to reproduce the defining characteristics of a standardised spirit.
FSSAI said its laboratory investigations found products in which external flavours were being used to recreate the aroma and taste associated with whisky or rum.
For beverage manufacturers, the issue highlights the increasingly important role of ingredient selection, formulation and transparent labelling in meeting regulatory requirements as food and beverage authorities strengthen scrutiny of processed products.
Compliance reshapes beverage formulation
Diageo said its products have consistently met applicable safety and quality standards but added that it had engaged with FSSAI and taken measures to align its products with revised requirements.
The company said it remains committed to compliance and consumer safety.
United Spirits had previously challenged the regulator’s action concerning McDowell’s No. 1 rum in the Bombay High Court, arguing that the company’s labelling complied with the applicable regulatory framework.
The court has given FSSAI until August 24 to respond to petitions challenging prohibitions affecting certain rum products.
The FSSAI action extends beyond Diageo. Other companies and brands affected include Inbrew Beverages, with Bagpiper Deluxe whisky and Old Cask Deluxe XXX rum among the products named, while Mohan Rocky Springwater’s Old Monk variants have also faced regulatory action.
The developments are likely to increase attention on flavour houses, beverage ingredient suppliers and spirit manufacturers as producers reassess formulations and labelling practices.
For the wider food and beverage ingredients industry, the case demonstrates how regulatory changes can influence not only finished products but also the sourcing, specification and application of flavouring ingredients throughout the manufacturing chain.
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