India’s Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) issued an order on 17 August 2026 revoking the prohibition it had placed on the sale of one product manufactured at United Spirits’ Baramati plant in Maharashtra. United Spirits confirmed the development in a regulatory filing with Indian stock exchanges on 19 August. The product in question is McDowell’s No. 1 Celebration Matured XXX Rum. The original ban was issued on 29 June 2026 following laboratory tests that found nature-identical flavouring substances had been added to the product in a manner the regulator considered non-compliant. United Spirits received the revocation order on 18 August at 12:40pm IST.
The FSSAI also separately revoked its ban on whisky products produced by United Spirits at a third-party manufacturing location on 20 August 2026. United Spirits had agreed to reformulate the affected whisky and rum products to comply with FSSAI flavouring regulations, and the revocations follow that agreement. The company confirmed the revocation would have “no material operational or financial impact” on its business. Diageo has stated its products are “completely safe for consumption” throughout the enforcement period.
Where the India regulatory story now stands
The revocations close the two FSSAI flavouring enforcement actions that had been running since late June, but do not resolve all outstanding matters. The court proceedings remain active. United Spirits filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court on 1 August challenging the original 29 June FSSAI order – the legal position of that petition has not been confirmed as withdrawn. The bottle marking seizure – a separate action by a different authority involving products seized over non-compliance with bottle marking requirements, reported by us on 11 August – also remains a distinct matter.
McDowell’s No. 1 is India’s biggest-selling rum brand, with 5.7 million cases sold in 2025. Royal Challenge – one of the whisky brands affected – is the fifth-best-selling Indian whisky brand globally. The commercial significance of the FSSAI actions was therefore substantial.