Old Monk sales ban: Rum maker withdraws court plea, agrees to revise labels after FSSAI objections

Mohan Rocky Springwater Breweries, which makes Old Monk, has withdrawn its Bombay High Court petition challenging an FSSAI order restricting the sale and distribution of certain products. The company told the court it would revise the labels and submit them to the regulator for approval.

Mohan Rocky Springwater Breweries Pvt Ltd, the maker of the Old Monk rum brand, has withdrawn its petition before the Bombay High Court challenging a sales restriction imposed by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) over the labelling and product descriptions of certain variants.

FSSAI had objected to the use of the term "rum" on products containing added flavouring agents, directing that they be labelled and marketed as "rum-flavoured spirit" instead. The regulator had also raised concerns over descriptions such as "7 Years Old Blended" and "Very Old Vatted".

The authority had barred the sale and distribution of several Old Monk products manufactured at the company's Khopoli facility.

Old Monk maker agrees to revise product labels

During a hearing on Thursday, a bench led by Chief Justice Maheshchandra Tripathi and Justice Advait Sethna was informed by the company that it would revise the product labels and submit the updated versions to FSSAI for approval.

The company's decision to withdraw its petition follows the court's refusal to grant interim relief against the regulator's order.

Why did FSSAI restrict the sale of certain Old Monk products?

The dispute centres on the classification and labelling of certain Old Monk variants. FSSAI's objection was that products containing added flavouring agents should be described as "rum-flavoured spirit" rather than "rum".

The regulator also questioned the use of age-related and product descriptions such as "7 Years Old Blended" and "Very Old Vatted".

The sales and distribution restriction applied to several products manufactured at the company's Khopoli facility.

Old Monk maker had cited over ₹350 crore loss in excise revenue

The brewer had earlier argued that the sales restriction had resulted in a loss of more than ₹350 crore in excise revenue for the Maharashtra government.

However, after the Bombay High Court declined to grant interim relief against the FSSAI order, the company chose not to pursue the case on merits and withdrew its petition.

The court subsequently disposed of the matter.

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