Key Takeaways
- FSSAI says Old Monk XXX Matured Rum, the variant that carries the "7 Years Old" claim, is mostly unmatured neutral spirit, with matured rum making up less than 5 percent of the blend.
- Separately, all three Khopoli variants, The Legend, Gold Reserve, and XXX Matured Rum, are under prohibition-of-sale orders. This is not a nationwide ban, and the dispute remains before the Bombay High Court.
- FSSAI's objection now goes beyond the label. On September 3, it told the Bombay High Court that a drink built from neutral spirit and added rum flavoring shouldn't be sold as "rum" at all, only as "rum-flavored spirit." Mohan Rocky Springwater disputes that. The case is still open.
Old Monk's famous seven-year claim has run into a problem. FSSAI says the XXX Matured Rum produced at the Khopoli unit is mostly unmatured neutral spirit, with matured rum making up less than 5 percent of the blend.
Three Old Monk variants from that unit were hit with prohibition-of-sale orders. The dispute has since reached the Bombay High Court, where FSSAI has gone further: it argues that a product built around neutral spirit and added rum flavor should be sold as a "rum-flavored spirit," not simply as rum. Mohan Rocky Springwater disputes that, saying its production complies with the rules for blended spirits.
Not a Ban, Despite the Headlines
This isn't a nationwide Old Monk ban, and it isn't a safety scare. It's an argument over what the drink can legally be called, and whether the label accurately described what drinkers were buying.
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