Just because you keep saying it, it doesn't make it true...

Now here is a silly little story, full of hyperbole and wishful thinking: India beats US to become world’s largest whisky market

Where to begin?

For scots, the problem with Indian whiskies just got bigger. India has quietly emerged as the largest international whisky market, toppling the US by volume.

In order to be the top whisky market, the market has to be purchasing whisky. But the definition of every whisky producing country (with the exception of India) is that whisky is an alcoholic beverage distilled from grain.*

Indian "whisky" is distilled from molasses - the article acknowledges this:

Indian whiskies,  non-matured alcohols mostly made from molasses, and hence not considered whisky by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA)...

I've never understood the insistence of taking a beverage that is essentially rum**, and calling it whisky. And then complaining that Indian "whisky" is being kept out of the export markets. Why not simply call it "rum" and sell it freely?

Indian whiskies account for 98% of domestic whisky consumption, reporting 8-10% growth annually, which makes it one among the fastest growing whisky markets anywhere in the world.

No it does not! It makes India the fastest growing market for Indian molasses rum.

India’s emergence as the top whisky market comes at a time when it has alleged that EU and SWA, in particular, have been building non-trade barriers on definitional issues to keep Indian whiskies out of the global market. Besides the domestic market, Indian whiskies sell mostly in the Middle East and in some other Asian markets, but has no market access to the mature markets in the West.

"Definitional barriers". I love that.

I can take crack cocaine and call it rock candy - but that doesn't mean I can sell it in candy stores.

However, voices on the side of the Scotch industry tended to play down India’s ranking as the largest international whisky market. As expected, they qualified the domestic market, citing the definitional problems pertaining to Indian whiskies.

Ya think?
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From the US Code of Federal Regulations Title 27, Part 5, §5.22 - The standards of identity:

* (b) Class 2; whisky. “Whisky” is an alcoholic distillate from a fermented mash of grain produced at less than 190° proof in such manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma, and characteristics generally attributed to whisky, stored in oak containers (except that corn whisky need not be so stored), and bottled at not less than 80° proof, and also includes mixtures of such distillates for which no specific standards of identity are prescribed.

** (f) Class 6; rum. “Rum” is an alcoholic distillate from the fermented juice of sugar cane, sugar cane syrup, sugar cane molasses, or other sugar cane by-products, produced at less than 190° proof in such manner that the distillate possesses the taste, aroma and characteristics generally attributed to rum, and bottled at not less than 80° proof; and also includes mixtures solely of such distillates.

Comments

[Michael Schlüter]

Hello Kevin,
very well spoken, indeed. I think on the one hand the indian liquor industry is sulking, because their 'whisky' is not recognised as such by foreign markets. On the other hand, India is still holding on to their high import tarifs for foreign liquor, so no wonder they account for 98% of domestic 'whisky' consumption...
Regards,
Michael