{
  "id": 5783046,
  "title": "What makes whisky, rum and vodka different? Not much, if you’re in India",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/what-makes-whisky-rum-and-vodka-different-not-much-if-youre-in-india",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-05T14:37:26.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/old-monk-rum-fssai-rules-imfl-explained-10864690/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In India, the classification of alcoholic beverages like whisky, rum, and vodka is not as rigid as in other countries. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) recently ruled that popular brands such as Old Monk, Gold Reserve, and McDowell’s No.1 cannot legally be called rum. The reason? The use of artificial flavors to mimic the taste of aged liquor. The regulator has also criticized misleading label claims regarding the maturity of these spirits. This case highlights a common Indian phenomenon where what we consider whiskey is actually rum, and what we call rum is mostly flavored neutral spirit.\n\nTo understand why this is the case, it's essential to know how alcohol is classified. Spirits are alcoholic beverages made by fermenting fruits, grains, or molasses, followed by distillation. Spirits have no added sugars or sweeteners and usually have high alcohol by volume (ABV). All liquor is a derivative of spirits, but not all spirits are considered liquor.\n\nThe classification of spirits varies by country. The EU’s Regulation 2019/787 and US rules under 27 CFR Part 5 specify the prerequisites for classifying alcoholic beverages. The six primary spirits are whisky, brandy, tequila, rum, vodka, and gin.\n\nIn India, the IMFL (Indian-Made Foreign Liquor) industry operates differently. During the British period, domestic versions of Western spirits were produced in India to cater to the local market. These processes were expensive and time-consuming, prompting the IMFL sector to opt for extra neutral alcohol (ENA). ENA is derived from fermented molasses or other agricultural produce, distilled to reach a minimum purity of 96%. The result is a highly rectified, flavorless product.\n\nMost Indian whiskies are made from molasses, which would qualify them as rum in international markets. According to the FSSAI Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, whisky can be made from malted grains or neutral spirit, and rum can be made from fermented sugarcane juice, molasses, or other sugarcane products. However, the regulations also state that these spirits should not contain any colorings other than caramel. Therefore, the artificial flavors used in popular Indian spirits like Old Monk and Gold Reserve to mimic the taste of aged liquor are a clear violation of these regulations.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Indian whisky brands like Old Monk violate regulations by using artificial flavors",
    "FSSAI criticizes misleading claims about maturity of Indian spirits",
    "Indian IMFL industry uses extra neutral alcohol (ENA) for cost-effective production"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}