Regulations 2 6 2 explained: this guide covers what it means, who it applies to, the step-by-step process, documents required, fees, due dates and penalties in India — so you can stay compliant with confidence and avoid costly mistakes.
Regulations 2.6 to 2.9 complete Part 2 of the Alcoholic Beverages Regulations, 2018. They define vodka, liqueur or cordial or aperitif, whisky (with its sub-types, including single malt and single grain) and pot-still distilled spirit, and tie each to Part 1 and Table-1.
The text is read as amended up to 19 November 2025 (FSSAI Compendium Version V dated 04.12.2025). FSSAI compendia are reference consolidations and the Gazette text prevails. Later notifications should be checked on fssai.gov.in. Whisky and vodka makers deal with licensing as well as standards; see central FSSAI licence support for the licence side.
Vodka is made from neutral spirit from a fermented mash; a liqueur is flavoured and may contain more than 2.5 per cent of sucrose, dextrose, laevulose or natural sweeteners; whisky is made by distilling fermented extract of malted cereal grains or by using neutral spirit; pot-still spirit comes from multiple distillations. Each ends with a pointer to Part 1 and Table-1.
Regulation 2.6: vodka
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". It must conform to Part 1 and Table-1. The definition does not set a flavour condition or a colour condition; those points are left to the general requirements and the Tables.
Regulation 2.7: liqueur or cordial or aperitif
A liqueur or cordial or aperitif is "an alcoholic beverage made from distilled spirit of agricultural origin that is flavoured with fruit, cream, herbs, spices, essential oils, and products of botanical origin". The sweetening sentence reads "It may contain more than 2.5 per cent of sucrose, dextrose, laevulose, natural sweeteners (like honey), or a combination thereof." The text is permissive ("may"), so it fixes no ceiling on sweetness. It conforms to Part 1 and Table-1.
Regulation 2.8: whisky or whiskey
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". It may be of the types in 2.8.1.
2.8.1 Malt or grain whisky and its sub-types
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". The compendium shows sub-types as inserted by amendment.
| Clause | Type | Printed description |
|---|---|---|
| (i) | Single malt whisky | A distillate from fermented mash that uses malted barley without adding any other grain, distilled in pot still only and produced in a single distillery |
| (ia) | Single grain whisky | A distillate from a fermented mash that uses malted or unmalted grain, produced in a single distillery; it does not include single malt whisky, blended malt whisky or blended grain whisky |
| (ii) | Blended malt whisky or blended grain whisky | A mixture of at least 2 per cent from barley malt or grain whisky, with neutral or rectified spirit |
Three details are easy to miss. "Single" in these clauses refers to a single distillery, not to a single cask. Single malt is limited to malted barley and a pot still. Single grain whisky is defined partly by exclusion: it is not single malt and not a blended product. And the blended type is defined by a floor of "at least 2 per cent" of barley malt or grain whisky, with the remainder neutral or rectified spirit. Whisky must also conform to Part 1 and Table-1.
For age and maturation words on a whisky label, see Part 1, which says "matured" requires not less than one year in oak or other suitable wood and that an age statement refers to the youngest spirit in the blend. Our article on Part 1 sets this out.
Regulation 2.9: pot-still distilled 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". On colour, the text says it shall not contain colouring matter except caramel, or natural colour obtained by ageing in oak or other suitable wooden barrel and finishing or infusing with wood chips. It must also conform to Part 1 and Table-1.
The list of raw materials is wide enough to cover agave and sugarcane juice, so a spirit made from either can be a pot-still distilled spirit if the multiple-distillation condition is met.
An invented example: Sahyadri Distillers sells two products. One is a single malt made only from malted barley in pot stills at its one distillery; it fits clause (i). The other is a blend labelled "blended grain whisky" containing at least 2 per cent grain whisky with neutral spirit; it fits clause (ii). A third product, a cane-juice spirit distilled several times and coloured only by oak ageing, fits regulation 2.9.
How to read the numbers
The Regulations name two percentages in this group: the 2 per cent floor for blends and the 2.5 per cent in the liqueur sentence. They are printed as they are and the Regulations do not compare them or give a calculation. Limits for alcohol strength, congeners and other parameters are in Table-1; see our article on the Tables. The earlier standards are covered in our article on brandy, country liquor, feni, gin and rum, and the next Part is wine.
Need help with a whisky or vodka launch?
Naming a spirit correctly is half the work: the product category decides which clause applies. Our central FSSAI licence service can help you map each variant to a category before applying.
Key takeaways
- Vodka: neutral spirit from fermented mash of rye, potato, cassava, grains or other agricultural carbohydrates.
- Liqueur, cordial or aperitif: flavoured distilled spirit that may contain more than 2.5 per cent of sugars or natural sweeteners.
- Single malt: malted barley only, pot still only, single distillery; single grain: single distillery and not malt or blended.
- Blended whisky: at least 2 per cent barley malt or grain whisky with neutral or rectified spirit.
- Pot-still spirit: multiple distillations; colour only from caramel or wood.
Read next
- Regulations 2.1–2.5: brandy, country liquor, feni, gin and rum
- Part 3: wine standards
- Tables 1–4 and Annexure-1
- Alcoholic beverages regulation under FSSAI
Disclaimer: Based on the FSSAI regulations named above as consolidated in FSSAI's compendium versions or as published in the Gazette, with the later notifications the article names (consulted on fssai.gov.in on 2-3 October 2026). Later notifications and the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 provisions referred to should be checked. This article is general information, not legal advice; check the official text before acting.