Rectified spirit sullying image of Goa’s drink: Feni makers

Panaji: Over the past few years, the Goa government has been promoting feni and has also introduced the feni policy, but the trade’s sentiment is that the allowance of rectified spirits in the manufacture of country liquor is against the stated objective of boosting feni’s standing.
The excise department allows the usage of rectified spirit or extra-neutral alcohol as a base material for manufacturing country liquor. A license for it can be obtained by paying a licence fee of 1 lakh, which is much higher than the fee applicable for manufacturing country liquor without the use of rectified spirit.
“Allowing the use of rectified spirit is not in the interest of feni, especially when the government as well some private players are working hard to elevate feni,” a distiller said.
He said only a few brands offer genuine cashew or coconut feni. There is much substandard feni in the market, and tourists who wish to taste Goa’s spirit, in all probability, buy that. “They don’t like it. That’s how feni got a bad name,” he said.
Rectified spirit, he said, is used to increase volume when genuine products are not available or cost more than what a trader is willing to pay.
“An easy way out is rectified spirit,” the distiller said.
A senior official agreed that allowing the use of rectified spirit as the base for manufacturing country liquor is not the best practice and cuts down the efforts to promote feni.
“It should not be permitted but if the trading community wants to stop it, its members should approach the government and submit their request. We can take it forward,” the officer said.
He, however, said those who have licences to use rectified spirit as the base for making country liquor could be fewer than ten.
While trade members were unwilling to come on record for obvious reasons, they were unanimous that the use of rectified spirit in the preparation of country liquor should be banned.
Another trader said that over the past five years, especially after the pandemic, distillers have struggled to source genuine raw materials due to a drop in production. “If the trend continues, we will have more manufacturers of country liquor using rectified spirit,” he said.
For feni to retain its character, he said, the use of rectified spirit as the base should be stopped.