Alcoholic beverage means a beverage or a liquor or a brew containing more than 0.5 per cent

• Non-alcoholic counterpart of alcoholic beverage” means non-alcoholic beverage having alcohol content less than or equal to 0.5% alcohol by volume,
• Alcohol proof means 1.75131 times the ethanol content in an alcoholic beverage by volume
• Brandy is an alcoholic beverage made by distillation of wine
• Blended brandy is a mixture of minimum 2 per cent. of pure grape brandy with any other fruit or flower brandy or neutral spirit or rectified spirit of agricultural origin
• Indian brandy shall be made either from neutral spirit or rectified spirit or a mixture of both
• Countryliquors or spirits are alcoholic beverages obtained from distillation of fermented carbohydrates of agricultural origin.
• Plain country 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
• Blended country liquor is a blend of an alcoholic distillate, rectified spirit or neutral spirit
• Fenny or Feni is a distilled liquor made from the fermented juice of cashew apple or coconuttoddy
• Gin is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from neutral spirit of agricultural origin flavoured with juniper berries and or other flavoring agents of botanical origin. It shall be clear and shall not develop any turbidity on dilution with water
• Rum is an alcoholic distillate obtained from fermented juice of sugarcane, sugarcane, molasses, or any other sugarcane product, and shall not contain any colouring matter other than caramel. It may also be prepared from neutral, rectified, distilled spirit of agricultural origin. Rum without colour shall be designated as white rum
• Vodka is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from the neutral spirit obtained from fermented mash of rye, potato, cassava, grains or any other carbohydrates of agricultural origin
• Liqueur or cordial or aperitif isan alcoholic beverage made from distilled spirit of agricultural origin that is flavoured with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, essential oils, and products of botanical origin. It may contain more than 2.5 per cent of sucrose, dextrose, laevulose, natural sweeteners (like honey), or a combination thereof
• Whisky is an alcoholic beverage made by distilling the fermented extract of malted cereal grains such as corn, rye, barley, or using neutral grain spirit or rectified grain spirit, or neutral spirit of agricultural origin, or their mixture.
• Malt or grain whisky is a distillate obtained from fermented mash of malted or unmalted cereals or a mixture of both with characteristic aroma and taste.
• Single malt whisky is a distillate obtained from fermented mash that uses malted barley without adding any other grain, which is distilled in pot still only and produced in a single distillery
• Single grain whisky is a distillate obtained from a fermented mash that uses malted or unmalted grain, and produced in a single distillery. Single grain whisky shall not include single malt whisky and blended malt whisky or blended grain whisky
• Blended malt or grain whisky shall be a mixture of at least 2 per cent from barley malt or grain whisky, with neutral or rectified spirit.
• Pot-still distilled spirit is an alcoholic beverage obtained from multiple distillations of fermented molasses, jaggery (Gur), mash of cereals, potato, cassava, fruits (like grape), juice or sap of coconut and palm trees, agave plant, sugarcane juice, cashew apple, mahua flowers, or any other source of fermentable carbohydrates of agriculture origin.

Wine

• Vintage wine is made from grapes(85%).
• Red wine shall be made from the grape varieties, red or mixture of red and white
• Pink colour produced during fermentation with less contact time with skin may be called as Rose wine.
• Dry wine is contains upto 0.9 per cent Sugar
• Medium dry wine is contains more than 0.9 upto 1.2 per cent. Sugar
• Medium sweet wine is contains more than 1.2 upto 4.5 per cent. Sugar
• Sweet wine is a wine that contains more than 4.5 per cent. Sugar
• Semi sparkling or Crackling wine has a carbon dioxide content of 3.0 to 5.0g/l or 1.5 to 2.5 bar pressure, at 20 ^ͦ C
• Sparkling wine has a carbon dioxide content of minimum 7.0 g/l or 3.5 bar pressure at 20^oC
  • Brut: It has sugar content below 1.2 per cent
  • Extra-Dry: It contains more than 1.2 up to 1.7 per cent. sugar with a tolerance of 0.3 per cent.
  • Dry: It contains more than 1.7 up to 3.2 per cent. sugar with a tolerance of 0.3 per cent
  • Semi-Dry: It is a wine which contains more than 3.2 up to 5.0 per cent. Sugar
  • Sweet: It contains more than 5.0 per cent. Sugar
• Fortified wine is a wine with high alcohol content achieved by the addition of alcohol (brandy or wine spirits or neutral spirit of agricultural origin) provided a minimum 7 .0 per cent comes from fermentation of grapes, grape must and fruits and used as aperitif or dessert wine. Fortified wine may be red or white, dry or sweet
  • Sherry: is commonly a white wine fermented to dryness followed by the addition of alcohol (brandy or wine spirits) to stabilize during maturation in contact with air.
  • Aromatized wine is a beverage obtained from at least 75% by volume of wine, which has undergone an aromatisation process; to which ethyl alcohol of viticultural origin and/or a wine distillate and/or alcohol of agricultural origin could have been added; which could have undergone a sweetening and/or colouring and/or undergone one or more of other specific oenological practices applicable to this beverage; with an actual alcoholic strength by volume varying between 14.5% minimum and 22%.
• Fruit wine is a wine produced from fruit other than grapes
• Cider is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from apple juice. It may be soft cider having alcohol content of more than 0.5 upto5.0 per cent, or hard cider having an alcohol content of more than 5.0upto 9.0 per cent.
• Perry is a wine prepared from pear juice
• Palm wine/Toddy is a wine prepared from sap of palm trees and coconut palms
• Bamboo wine is a wine prepared from bamboo sap
• Wine-based beverage is a beverage obtained from at least 50 by volume of wine and alcoholic strength by volume is equal to or above 3.5 vol. and below 14.5 vol.
• Water added in preparation of wine shall not be more than 70 ml per kg of grape or fruit, to dilute the high sugar grape must prior to fermentation and does not dilute the must below 13.5 degree brix.
• Wine may be amliorated by adding separately or in combination, dry sugar or jaggery (not more than 20 per cent) before, during or after fermentation.

                                                                 Beer

• Beer is a fermented alcoholic beverage made from barley malt or other malted grains, sometimes with added adjuncts like wheat, maize, corn, rice or other cereal crops, and with hops or hop extracts to impart a bitter taste and flavor.
  • Regular or Mild–Above more than 0.5 percent upto 5.0 per cent
  • Strong – Above more than 5.0 per cent upto 8.0 per cent
  • Alcohol free beer- Above 0.0 (for other parameters, alcohol free beer shall comply with the limits specified for regular beer.
• Lager beer is prepared by using bottom fermenting yeast and matured at low temperature.
• Ale beer is prepared by using top fermenting yeast and is usually lighter in color. It is also prepared from pale malt and has a medium body.
• Wheat beer is brewed with a large proportion of wheat and may also contain a significant proportion of malted barley.
• Stouts and porters are dark beers made using roasted malts or roasted barley and typically brewed with slow fermenting yeast.
• Draught beer is a beer of all types i.e., lager, ale, stout and porter or wheat, and may or may not be pasteurized. It is served from a cask or keg.
• Craft beer is made in a micro-brewery/ pub-brewery, and may be aromatized with suitable food ingredients. It may or may not be filtered and pasteurized, and may be sold in casks, kegs, bottles, or cans.

                                                     Labeling Requirements

• Alcohol content shall be expressed as per cent. above or as proof.
• The Pot distilled alcohol shall be labeled as ‘Pot- Still/Pot -Still Distilled/Pot- Distilled’ on the package.
• One standard drink is the amount of beverage that contains in it 12.7 ml of above as measured at 200C. The label may include a statement of the approximate number of standard drinks in the package.
• Geographical indicators (GI) or names may be used on the label solely for the products originating from that geographical region. Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.
• Alcoholic beverage shall not contain any nutritional information on the label except energy content in kcal. Such declaration related to energy content shall be voluntary.
• No health claim shall be made on alcoholic beverage.
• The label of a package of a beverage containing more than 0.5 per cent above shall not use the words ‘non-intoxicating’ or words implying similar meaning.
• In wine – Declare the generic name of variety of grape or fruit used in descending order of quantity or raw material used, geographic origin, and vintage year, provided such claims are made.
  • Declare the name of the place, or region, sub-region or appellation, if 75 per cent the grapes come from that place
  • Carry the name of a grape variety, the wine is made from at least 75 per cent from that grape variety
  • Carry a date of vintage, if at least 85 per cent of the wine comes from that vintage
• Alcoholic beverage other than wine which contain less than 10 per cent alcohol shall mention the date, month and year of expiry on the label, in that order and shall preceed by the words “Expiry date _____” or Use by ______”.
• If the wine contains more than 10 mg sulfur dioxide per litre, the label must declare “Contains sulfur dioxide or Contains sulfite”