Define single-malt whiskies afresh, says alcobev industry

livemint.com:

Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority to come up with a narrower, India-specific definition that will serve as a benchmark for producing single malts in the country, considering the varied climatic conditions compared to other whisky-producing nations. In India, spirits age three to four times faster compared to other countries. Typically, single malts should be a product of a single distillery though the malt can be matured in different casks.

At present, there are 8-9 distilleries producing their own single-malt brands. Paul John, Amrut, Solan Gold and Rampur have become household names, while new brands such as Indri and GianChand are yet to make a mark despite receiving considerable recognition from connoisseurs. While Diageo has launched Godawan, more distilleries plan to launch their single malts soon.

However, with both regulatory and industry perspectives coming into play, the single-malt category faces a dilemma over the definition.  According to the 2018 food safety and standards regulations for alcoholic beverages by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), single-malt or single-grain whisky is defined as a distillate derived from fermented mash utilizing malted barley, or malted or unmalted grain, distilled in a pot and originating from a single distillery. However, experts argue that the FSSAI’s definition of single malt is too broad and regulatory in nature.