Delhi excise dept directs L-1 licensees for quarterly sample testing to ensure liquor quality

The excise department of the Delhi government has directed all wholesale licensees to mandatorily submit samples of each IMFL registered brand on a quarterly basis to ensure the quality of liquor sold in the city, officials said on Wednesday.

All the Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) brands approved in Delhi require to pass through the Excise Control Lab of the government for testing every three months on a regular basis, they said.

A circular recently issued to all the L-1 licensees by the excise department directed strict compliance.

The bond inspectors of the department have also been instructed to ensure that samples are submitted to the excise department lab regularly for each quarter of the year.

“It is once again reiterated that all the L-1 Licensees are hereby directed to submit the sample of each brand approved by Excise Department for 2025-26 in the Excise lab for the January-March 2026 quarter without fails,” said the circular.

The excise control lab checks the samples for specific standards. In case of IMFL samples, essential tests as well as detailed analysis are performed as per the requirements.

In 2024-25, the lab tested 2,740 samples of liquor provided by the department, officials added.