New Delhi, Sept. 6 -- For generations of rum drinkers, Old Monk has simply been rum. But the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has now told the Bombay High Court that the popular alcoholic beverage cannot be sold as "rum" because it is made using neutral spirit and rum flavouring.

The regulator's counsel told the court on Thursday that its objection was not merely about the product's labelling but about the nature of the beverage itself.

"What is not permitted is to sell this product as rum," FSSAI's counsel said. The regulator said the product could instead be described as a "rum-flavoured spirit".

And suddenly, for those who first discovered rum through Old Monk, a rather strange question emerges: Was everything we...