FSSAI had published draft regulations on 11 May 2023 to amend the 2018 Alcoholic Beverages Regulations, inviting public comments. After reviewing feedback, FSSAI finalized and notified the amendments in 2025, with enforcement from 1 January 2026.

Following are the significant amendments made to the existing regulations –

1.In PART-1 –

1. Regulation 1.2 relating to ‘Definitions’, after sub-regulation 1.2.4, the following shall be inserted, namely: –

‘1.2.4a. “alcoholic ready-to–drink beverages” means, flavored beverages having more than 0.5 and up to 15.0% of alcohol by volume, made from spirit or the mixture of spirit or any alcoholic beverage as base by adding natural or nature identical or artificial flavors and food additives permitted under the Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011, or a combination thereof, and fruit or vegetable juice or herbs or spices, or a combination thereof, with or without added sugar or caloric sweeteners or salt and with or without carbonation. In case of carbonated alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages, they shall be carbonated with carbon dioxide, which shall have a minimum of one volume of carbon dioxide and shall conform to the requirements of TABLE-4.]’.

1. Regulation 1.3, in sub-regulation 1.3.9, after the proviso, for the words beginning with “Alcoholic beverage containing” and ending with “the requirements of TABLE-4”, the following shall be substituted, namely: –

“Alcoholic beverage containing more than 0.5 per cent abv and up to 15.0 per cent abv shall be called as Alcoholic ready-to–drink beverage and it shall conform to the definition provided under regulation 1.2 and the requirements of TABLE-4,”

2.In PART-2 –

2. For regulation 2.2, the following regulation shall be substituted, namely: –

“2.2 Country liquors or Indian Liquors: Country liquors or Indian Liquors or spirits are alcoholic beverages obtained from distillation of fermentable carbohydrates of agricultural origin. Country liquors or Indian made Liquors may also be of the following types, namely: –

2.2.1 Plain country liquor or Plain Indian liquor: Plain country liquor or Plain Indian liquor shall be made from alcoholic distillate obtained from fermented molasses, jaggery (Gur), mash of cereals, potato, cassava, fruits, juice or sap of coconut and palm trees, mahua flowers or any other carbohydrates of agricultural origin.

 2.2.2 Blended country liquor or Blended Indian liquor: Blended country liquor or Blended Indian liquor is a blend of an alcoholic distillate, rectified spirit or neutral spirit.

Note: Country liquor or Indian liquor shall also conform to the general requirement specified in PART 1 and requirements specified in TABLE – 1. Product name and ingredients or raw materials for such products are specified in Annexure-1 of these regulations and the same are not exhaustive.”.

3.In PART-3 –

3. In regulation 3.1

(a) in sub-regulation 3.1.4, –

(i) for the heading “Wine from fruits other than grapes”, the following heading shall be substituted, namely: –

“Fruit Wine (other than grape wine) along with Honey wine”;

(ii) after clause 3.1.4.3, the following clause shall be inserted, namely: – “3.1.4.4 Honey wine or Mead: Honey wine or Mead is a wine produced from the fermentation of an aqueous solution of honey by yeasts without addition of any other carbohydrate source. It may contain herbs, spices or natural flavourings and shall conform to the requirements provided under Table-2 except ethyl alcohol content which may vary between 4% to 15.5%.”;

(b) in sub-regulation 3.1.5, after the words “juice or sap”, the words “or whole grains” shall be inserted;

(c) in sub-regulation 3.1.6, after the words “or any other approved substance”, the words “Wine Based Beverages may or may not be carbonated.” shall be inserted.

4.In PART 4, in regulation 4.2, after sub-regulation 4.2 (1), the following sub-regulation shall be inserted, namely: –

“4.2 (1) (i) Nitro Craft Beer- Nitro Craft Beer is the craft beer having the mixture of CO2 and N2 gas.”

5.1 In Table 1 –

(a) for the heading in column 5, the following heading shall be substituted, namely: –

“Country Liquor, Indian Liquor, Plain Country Liquor or Plain Indian Liquor”;

(b) for the heading in column 6, the following heading shall be substituted, namely: –

“Blended Country Liquors or Blended Indian Liquors”;

(c) in the footnote, for the words “low alcoholic beverages”, the words “Ready to Drink Alcoholic Beverage” shall be substituted;

5.2 In Table 2 –

(a) in column 7, in the heading, after the words “Fruit Wine (other than grape wine)”, the words “along with Honey wine” shall be inserted;

(b) in the foot note, for the words “in accordance with their”, the words “except the characteristic”, shall be substituted.

5.3 In Table 3 –

(a) in Column 2,

(i)Against serial number 3, for the words “Carbon dioxide, v/v, Min”, the words “CO2 or Mixture of CO2 and N2 gas, v/v, Min***” shall be substituted;

(ii)Against serial number 10, for the words “Total plate count, cfu per ml”, the words, “Total plate count, cfu per ml **** ” shall be substituted.

(b)After column (7), a column is inserted

(c) after the existing footnotes, the following footnotes shall be inserted, namely: –

 “ *** Mixture of CO2 and N2 gas is applicable for craft beer. **** Does not include Brewer’.

5.4 In Table 4 –

(a)For the existing heading, the heading “Requirements for Alcoholic Ready-to–drink beverages” shall be substituted;

(b) against serial number 1, in column (3), for the entry ‘>0.5 to 8.0’, the entry ‘>0.5 to ˂15.0’, shall be substituted.

And an annexure has been inserted.