The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), often criticised in the past as a ‘toothless tiger’, has in recent weeks taken a far more assertive stance across categories, tightening its grip on how products are labelled and marketed. From calling out misleading claims in so-called ‘energy drinks’ to flagging discrepancies in staples like paneer and honey, the regulator has been signalling a broader intent: to scrutinise what brands say as closely as what they sell.
The alcobev category is also a part of that wider regulatory push. Several manufacturers, including United Spirits and Inbrew Beverages, have also challenged FSSAI’s recent directive in High Courts, contesting its interpretation of flavouring and labelling norms. What began as a regulatory intervention has quickly turned into an industry-wide flashpoint, raising questions not just about compliance, but about how alcobev products are defined, described and ultimately marketed.
At the heart of the dispute is FSSAI’s position on flavouring and product identity. Laboratory tests detected the use of artificial or nature-identical flavouring substances to recreate the taste and aroma in standard whisky and rum. The enforcement has impacted several popular brands, including variants of Old Monk, McDowell’s No. 1, Royal Challenge and Bagpiper, where such practices were found to be in violation of existing standards. Under current regulations, products using such flavouring cannot be labelled simply as whisky or rum, and must instead carry front-of-pack disclosures that clearly indicate their composition. While existing stock has been allowed to remain in circulation with revised labelling, the move signals tighter scrutiny of how product identity is defined and communicated.
The regulator has also flagged concerns around age claims. As per the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, the age declared on a blended spirit must correspond to the youngest spirit used in the blend. Instances where this norm has not been followed add another layer to the issue, particularly in a category where age statements are central to premium positioning and brand storytelling.
For an industry that has traditionally relied on surrogate advertising, evocative storytelling and lifestyle-led communication, this moment does more than raise compliance concerns. It brings the focus back to the product itself. The larger question now is whether this remains a regulatory correction, or if it marks a broader reset in how alcobev brands communicate, moving from crafted narratives to clearer, product-led messaging.
At one level, this is about compliance. But at a deeper level it exposes a deeper structural habit within the category. Rheya Hiremath, Growth & Strategy Director at Wife, an agency that has worked with alcobev brands, points out, brands have long built aspiration around the product rather than meaning from it. The narration has always been about the pour, the occasion, the world around the drink, leaving the product curiously absent from its own narrative.
“For a category that has spent decades communicating around the product, transparency puts the product back at the centre of the story,” she says. The larger argument is that the industry can no longer afford that separation. When communication has historically avoided direct product conversations, transparency becomes more than a regulatory requirement, it becomes a reset.
Labels are only the starting point. Real transparency lies in answering the questions that brands have typically sidestepped, she says. Questions like what goes into the product, why it is made the way it is, and what it stands for beyond the occasion it is consumed in. This is then not just about turning communication into a technical manual, but about finding a more honest, human story within the product itself.
That gap between storytelling and substance is something Harish Bijoor, Business & Brand Strategy Expert and Founder of Harish Bijoor Consults Inc., frames through the layers of brand communication. According to him, brands operate across multiple layers, the name, the narrative and finally the label, where the truth resides. “The sad fact, however, is that only 1.1% of consumers actually even look at the label on the brand which has the descriptors,” he highlights.
The statistic does not diminish the importance of transparency; it complicates it. Marketers, he says, have historically catered to storytelling because that is where engagement lies, while factual information has remained confined to the back of the pack. But the consumer itself is evolving. A more discerning generation is emerging, one that is willing to do its own due diligence on what it consumes.
In that context, the label becomes more than a regulatory artefact; it becomes a point of credibility. Bijoor suggests that this is where “truth comes to roost,” and where brands will need to deepen what they disclose for those who seek it out. Even if only a fraction of consumers engage with it today, that fraction is likely to grow, and with it, the expectation that brands will be more forthcoming.
For some brands, this is more of a validation. Avneet Singh, CEO & Founder of Medusa Beverages, says the company has approached transparency as a baseline rather than a reaction. “Every bottle we make states the alcohol percentage clearly. Every ingredient that we use is openly listed on the label. That's not new for us, it's how we've always worked.”
Singh frames the current moment not as a disruption but as an increase in scrutiny, one that the industry should expect. This translates into treating labelling as a “living document,” something that is continuously audited rather than finalised once, says Singh.
This has implications for how brands build premium perception as well. For a long time, premium in alcobev has been constructed through design, pricing and narrative. But that equation is being tested. “A brand can invest in the boldest packaging on the shelf, but if the product behind it doesn't match what's promised, that investment has a short shelf life,” Singh argues. In that sense, premium perception is being redefined, moving closer to product integrity than just presentation.
This brings the conversation to a larger question: does this remain a compliance-driven phase, or does it reshape how the category communicates altogether?
Sanjay Trehan, Digital Media Advisor, believes the answer lies in how brands choose to interpret this moment. For him, transparency is already non-negotiable, not just within alcobev but across food and beverage categories.
Trehan also expands the idea of transparency beyond labels, arguing that it must extend across the entire gamut of communication. “Storytelling is not an end in itself. It’s an engagement tool to connect with consumers but all stories must be truthful to the brand persona and values,” he notes.
This places a new responsibility on brands to ensure that every touchpoint, from advertising to digital content, reflects clear and unambiguous information. It also opens up a different kind of opportunity, one where education becomes part of brand building.
Trehan does not see this as a temporary regulatory phase. Instead, he frames it as part of a broader shift in consumer expectation. Today’s consumer, he notes, is aware, demanding and far more engaged with what they consume. As that awareness deepens, transparency is likely to move from compliance to expectation. “It’s not just about regulatory compliance. It’s about doing the right thing,” he adds.
Hence, the alcobev industry is being asked, directly or indirectly, to bring the product back into its own story, to close the gap between what is communicated and what is delivered, and to engage with a consumer that is more curious than before.
Whether this becomes defining or remains a moment of adjustment will depend on how brands respond. They can treat transparency as a requirement to be managed, or as a lever to build stronger, more credible narratives. The difference, as the experts suggest, lies not in what they are required to say, but in how much they are willing to reveal.
