FSSAI prohibition orders on flavoured spirits: Old Monk, McDowell's, Royal Challenge, Bagpiper (Jun to Sep 2026)

The phrase 'FSSAI banned liquor' entered Indian search autocomplete in August 2026 because of a set of orders that were narrower than the headlines and older than most reports suggested. On 29 Jun 2026 FSSAI's Western Regional Office issued prohibition orders under section 36(3)(b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act against Old Monk variants made at Mohan Rocky Springwater in Khopoli and McDowell's No.1 rum made at United Spirits' Baramati plant. Conditional orders on 27 Jul 2026 allowed stock already made to be sold if relabelled as a rum flavoured spirit. A separate directive of 29 Jul 2026 covered one whisky and one rum of Associated Alcohols and Breweries in Khargone, Madhya Pradesh.

The regulator's case was that rum flavour had been added to rum and whisky flavour to whisky. Under the Alcoholic Beverages Regulations, 2018 those characteristics are meant to come from fermentation, distillation and maturing, and regulation 5.1 of the Labelling and Display Regulations, 2020 requires a name that shows the true nature of the food. FSSAI also questioned the '7 Years Old Blended' claim on Old Monk, saying matured rum was a small share of the blend. FSSAI set this out publicly on 3 Aug 2026, which is why the story broke then.

The August reports also named Antiquity Blue and Royal Challenge at a United Spirits unit in Madhya Pradesh, Bagpiper Deluxe and Old Cask from Inbrew, and Central Province Whisky and McDowell's Celebration from Associated Alcohol. The order dates and current status for those products have not been confirmed from primary documents.

The companies went to court, arguing that section 36(3)(b) does not allow FSSAI to prohibit sale without the procedure in sections 33 and 34. The Bombay High Court refused interim relief on 10 Aug 2026 and again on 31 Aug, when Mohan Meakin agreed to remove the age claim and submit a revised label. On 17 Aug 2026 FSSAI revoked its Baramati order against United Spirits, which then withdrew its petition; whether the product was reformulated is not stated in the company's filing (being verified) The Madhya Pradesh High Court granted Associated Alcohols an interim stay, reported on 12 Aug 2026. The Old Monk matter was listed for 11 Sep 2026 and the outcome is still to be confirmed.

None of the orders is a nationwide ban on a brand, and none alleges the products are unsafe.