A leading trade body of India’s alcoholic beverage companies has urged the Indian government to ask the UK to reduce non-trade barriers to provide easy market access for their alcohol brands in Britain. The Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC) has also demanded the removal of a restriction of minimum 3 years maturation period for whisky as well as for rum, noting that in warm Indian conditions, spirit ages 3-3.5 times faster than in the UK.  The Indian government should “ask the UK government for removal of non-tariff barriers to allow easy export of Indian made alcoholic beverages to the UK,” CIABC said in a statement on Tuesday. The body has suggested that the Indian whiskies should be allowed to be sold in the UK, irrespective of whether they are made from malt, grain spirits or molasses-based spirits. “They (the UK) should accept Indian recipes as India accepts British recipes for whisky,” Vinod Giri, CIABC director general, said. India exports just Rs 50 million (£0.5m) worth of alcoholic beverages annually to the UK against an import of Rs 13 billion (£129m), he added. The Indian government should “ask the UK government for removal of non-tariff barriers to allow easy export of Indian made alcoholic beverages to the UK,” CIABC said in a statement on Tuesday. The body has suggested that the Indian whiskies should be allowed to be sold in the UK, irrespective of whether they are made from malt, grain spirits or molasses-based spirits. “They (the UK) should accept Indian recipes as India accepts British recipes for whisky,” Vinod Giri, CIABC director general, said.

India exports just Rs 50 million (£0.5m) worth of alcoholic beverages annually to the UK against an import of Rs 13 billion (£129m), he added.

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