FSSAI bans then revokes stop-sale on 11 Enrica liquor brands in Tamil Nadu; TASMAC told to resume

Chennai / Tiruvallur — August 2026: Within days, Tamil Nadu’s liquor retail network moved from a hard stop on eleven Enrica-linked brands to a lifted prohibition — after FSSAI first flagged flavouring issues at a licensed unit in Poonamallee, then revoked its own order following an appeal.

The episode has drawn political criticism of the speed of the U-turn. The state Excise Minister has pushed back: quality checks for large liquor manufacturers, he said, sit with FSSAI, not the state food-safety machinery when turnover crosses the central threshold.

Editorial illustration — regulatory paper trail, not a product ad. Photo: MyChennaiCity desk.

Spellings vary slightly across outlets. Consolidated list from The Hindu, TNIE, and DT Next:

1. VSOP Exshaw Gold Brandy
2. Louis Vernant XO Blended Premium Brandy
3. McDowell’s / McDowells VSOP Brandy
4. No.1 McDowell’s / McDowells Fine Brandy
5. Men’s Club / Mensclub Deluxe Brandy
6. Honey Bee Fine Brandy
7. Enrica VSOP Select Brandy
8. Enrica Platinum Reserve XO Brandy
9. Enrica Premium French Brandy
10. Veeran Special Brandy
11. Enrica Old Indie Classic Dark Rum

TNIE earlier reported roughly 20,000 cases (48 bottles each) of the affected stock across about 4,045 outlets and 43 depots — treat that as a source-attributed estimate, not an official inventory audit published here.

Ban rationale (11 Aug): FSSAI cited the presence of nature-identical and artificial flavouring substances in the products inspected.

Revoke (14 Aug): Press reports state FSSAI withdrew the prohibition under Section 36(3)(b) of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. DT Next noted the revocation letter did not spell out a detailed public reasoning. Multiple outlets report the manufacturer appealed and assured compliance, after which an improvement notice replaced the hard ban, with officials saying further action is possible if the firm fails to comply within the notice period.

Officials quoted in The Hindu / ToI also indicated that existing stock of the varieties was treated as consumable / sellable once the prohibition was lifted — again, subject to whatever TASMAC finally circulates to district managers.

Prohibition and Excise Minister K. Vignesh told The New Indian Express that:

• He learned of the ban only on Friday afternoon (14 Aug) and of the revoke by Saturday morning (15 Aug).
• For manufacturers above a ₹50 crore turnover threshold, FSSAI — not the state food-safety department — is the quality authority.
• The department will consult experts on options to check quality across the many brands TASMAC procures, “possibly involving FSSAI.”

1. Ask the outlet which circular is in force today — stop-sale notices and withdraw-ban letters can lag between head office, depot, and RV shop.
2. Do not rely on WhatsApp forwards for “banned forever” or “cleared forever” lists.
3. FL2 / FL3 holders should wait for written TASMAC / Excise confirmation before moving or displaying the named SKUs.
4. Treat flavouring / labelling compliance as a live regulatory issue for the manufacturer (improvement notice), not as a closed consumer-safety verdict from this desk.

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