With the news of liquor quality being compromised in the country, the Delhi Excise Department has come up with a new order. The excise department of the Delhi government has recently ordered all the wholesale licensees to submit samples of every approved IMFL (Indian Made Foreign Liquor) brand. The samples will be collected from the licensees for testing the quality of the brand. Here’s everything you must know about this.
Now, all the Indian Made Foreign Liquor brands (IMFL) will have to undergo the scrutiny of the Delhi government to ensure their quality. The Office of the Commissioner of Excise, Entertainment and Luxury Tax has currently asked all the L-1 licensees to submit samples of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) to the Excise Control Laboratory regularly.
This is because all the IMFL brands need to receive approval by passing through the tests conducted by the Excise Control Lab of the government. These tests will be conducted every three months on a regular basis, and hence the licensees must submit the samples quarterly for the same.
The circular was published on March 23, 2026, and contained all the necessary information regarding this new order. It mentioned all the directives as well as demanded strict compliance by all the wholesale licensees. The circular demands samples of each approved brand without fail for 2025-26 in the Excise lab for the January-March 2026 quarter.
There are prescribed safety and chemical standards against which the samples will be checked. These standards include checking the strength of the alcohol, as well as the presence of harmful elements like methanol or excessive fusel oils.
The fact that this submission of samples is made mandatory and quarterly will help in detecting the issues early. The authorities can take action before adulterated and substandard alcohol reaches the consumer. This will, in turn, help in ensuring consistency in product quality and reducing health risks.
The routine sampling method will also discourage the licensees from keeping non-compliant or inferior quality stock. This is because if at all any brand fails in the test, it will be de-listed, suspended, or might face penalties depending on the severity.
The data generated from these periodic tests will, over time, help the Excise Control Laboratory to understand patterns. These patterns will help them make evidence-based decisions against faulty brands or distilleries.
Along with protecting public health, the regular sampling method will also build consumer confidence. This will happen only when the government-prescribed quality benchmarks are met by licensed channels.
According to a report by the Delhi Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Excise Policy 2021-22 witnessed a revenue loss of INR 890 crore because of the lapses in surrendered liquor licenses being re-tendered.
Based on Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) findings, the report showed losses worth over INR 2000 crore. Ever since the previous excise policy was tossed out, the excise department has been under scrutiny.
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