Kerala freezes sale of 3 batches of Jawan XXX Rum for not being strong enough
If you’re a licensed liquor brewer who brews beverages, which lack the required alcohol levels, then you may come under the radar of the Kerala Excise Department. The Kerala Excise Department stopped sales of three batches of the Jawans XXX Rum for not being potent enough. A chemical analysis done by the Abkari - Kerala State Beverages Corporation Ltd, found the rum samples from the particular batches fell below the mandated alcohol by volume level for the rum and contained sediment deposit. Following this, an order was issued by the Excise Commission to all the Deputy Excise Commissioners asking for a freeze on sales.
“A chemical analysis certificate revealed that the samples from Batches 245, 246 and 247 dated July 20 of Jawan XXX rum which was analysed by the Kerala State Beverages Corporation was found to have sediment deposit. As a result, the respect batches of the rum have an alcohol by volume of 39.09 percent, 38.31 percent and 39.14 percent. Based on this, a report by the South Zone Joint Excise Commission has recommended that the sale of these batches of rum be frozen,” the order issued on November 15, 2020. The chemical analysis was done in the Regional Chemical Examiner's Lab in Thiruvananthapuram. The Excise Department decided to do a chemical test based on a complaint filed after a few people felt uneasiness after consuming the rum from a local bar in Kozhikode' Mukkam. Following the report, the order was issued by the State Excise Commissioner to the Deputy Excise Commissioners of all the divisions in the state.
Alcohol by volume is the standard measure of how much alcohol or ethanol is contained in a given volume of alcoholic beverage. It is measured as volume percentage. The ABV in the three batches of Jawans XXX Rum were found to be on the lower side, prompting the Excise Department to issue orders to freeze sales of the batches.
Speaking to TNM, Deputy Excise Commissioner (Abkari) Radhakrishna Pillai G, said, "The freeze was imposed as the samples from the batches were found to have alcohol content below the standard level. Usually rum has 42.18 percent ethyl alcohol content give or take 3 percentage points. But the samples here were found to fall below this mark." He also added that this was a routine process of the Excise Department.
The order also states bars and stores selling foreign liquor in the state need to take immediate measures to freeze the sale of the batches 245, 246 and 247 of the Jawans XXX Rum dated July 20.
The Jawan XXX Rum is highly popular in the state with 1 litre of the rum costing Rs 560. The state run Travancore Sugars and Chemicals Ltd manufacture 6000 cases of rum everyday. The Kerala State Beverages Corporation, which has a monopoly over liquor sales in the state had earlier sought that this number be increased to 8,000 cases.
The measures were taken following a chemical analysis certificate by the Chief Chemical Examiner in Thiruvananthapuram dated October 20, 2020 and a letter by the South Zone Joint Excise Commission which also warned that the beverage samples were not strong enough.