# Diageo to reformulate whisky and rum brands after FSSAI action 2026-08-19T20:50:12+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets United Spirits, the Indian arm of Diageo, has agreed to reformulate some of its whisky and rum brands after regulatory action by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), NDTV Profit reports. ThePrint adds that the controversy revolves around the widespread use of molasses in Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL). Trade estimates suggest more than 90% of what is sold as whisky in India would not qualify as whisky in the US or Europe because it uses molasses instead of grain. ThePrint quotes Rakshay Dhariwal, founder of agave spirit brand Pistola, saying that if molasses is used in a blended whisky, it is rum and cannot be called whisky. Michael D'Souza, master distiller at Paul John, says molasses was historically the best option due to technological limitations. Some consumers label the FSSAI's actions as long overdue for transparency, while others circulate conspiracy theories about sugar-lobby politics. ## Indian Opinion Analysis NDTV Profit's brief report is straight factual wire copy focused on the corporate action. ThePrint provides deep context on the molasses-based history of Indian liquor and includes industry experts critical of the practice, framing the FSSAI move as overdue transparency. It also notes conspiracy theories about sugar-lobby politics, which NDTV Profit omits entirely. A careful reader should take away that the core issue is a long-standing gap between Indian mass-market practice and international whisky standards, not a new scandal. Watch for which specific brands are reformulated and whether FSSAI expands its scrutiny. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 government-critical, 1 neutral - ndtvprofit.com (neutral report) Led with the corporate agreement to reformulate, no framing of criticism or politics - theprint.in (government critical) Highlighted consumer distrust, industry criticism of molasses use, and conspiracy theories This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-22T11:31:56+00:00. Tags: Diageo, FSSAI, McDowell's No.1, Royal Challenge, United Spirits Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/diageo-to-rework-mcdowells-rum-royal-challenge-whisky-after-fssai-action/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/diageo-to-rework-mcdowells-rum-royal-challenge-whisky-after-fssai-action/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/