Old Monk To Drop '7 Years Old' Claim: Mohan Rocky Springwater Tells Bombay High Court It Will Relabel Rum

Mohan Rocky Springwater, the manufacturer of the iconic rum brand Old Monk, informed the Bombay High Court that it is prepared to relabel its product by removing the "7 years old blended" mention. The development comes amid an ongoing regulatory dispute with the food safety authorities over aging claims and product categorization.

High Court Proceedings and Label Revision

Appearing for the company, senior counsel Navroz H. Seervai told the court, “I will in every single label blank out the line that states ‘7 years blend’.” A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Ravindra V. Ghuge and Justice Gautam A. Ankhad directed the company to submit a reworked label by Thursday, September 3, reports Livemint. Why Did FSSAI Ban Old Monk, Antiquity Blue, Royal Challenge, and Other Popular Liquor Brands?

The bench observed that consumers could be easily misled into believing the rum had genuinely been aged for seven years. The court also raised concerns about certain text on the packaging being printed in font sizes “so small that nobody can read”. During the hearing, Mohan Rocky Springwater highlighted that it has sustained financial setbacks amounting to INR 1 crore per day during a 120-day sales ban. The court instructed the excise department to review the revised label and fast-track the approval process once submitted.

Regulatory Objections by FSSAI

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) defended its stance, arguing that Old Monk is manufactured by blending neutral spirit with added rum flavour rather than acquiring natural characteristics through traditional maturation. In June, the regulator restricted the sale of the rum, mandating that it be labeled as a “rum flavoured spirit”. The dispute originates from FSSAI laboratory tests that identified external artificial or nature-identical flavouring substances in several mass-market liquor brands. Under the Food Safety and Standards (Alcoholic Beverages) Regulations, 2018, standardized spirits like rum and whisky are required to display their characteristic taste and aroma derived through proper processes rather than artificial maskers. Consequently, FSSAI previously restricted select variants of Old Monk, United Spirits’ McDowell’s No. 1 Rum, Antiquity Blue Whisky, and Royal Challenge Whisky, alongside Inbrew Beverages' Bagpiper Deluxe Whisky and Old Cask Deluxe XXX Rum.

Industry Perspective and Wider Compliance

Industry experts note that labeling standards require careful adherence as regulatory environments mature. "The age declaration on a blended spirit must reflect the age of the youngest matured spirit in the blend,” Poonam Chandel, an industry expert and former managing director of NeuWorld Spirits, told Mint. "In this case, since the product contains spirit of a much younger age, the ‘7 years old’ declaration clearly needed to be corrected. … Old Monk has carried substantially the same label for years, and the declaration seems to have simply continued without being revisited as the product and regulatory environment evolved," she added. Old Monk Rum Shortage in Maharashtra: Why It’s Unavailable and When It Will Return.

Chandel added that while the oversight likely pointed to historical complacency rather than deliberate misrepresentation, agreeing to correct the packaging is the appropriate path forward. Other major industry players have begun aligning with the guidelines. United Spirits withdrew a similar legal challenge, with parent company Diageo and other manufacturers agreeing to comply with FSSAI directives to either modify their formulations or update labels. Sources close to the matter indicate that Old Monk’s underlying beverage composition will remain unchanged following the relabeling.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 31, 2026 11:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).