THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Tipplers in the state will have to wait a while before foreign-made foreign liquor (FMFL) and foreign-made wine hits the Kerala market.
Though the Kerala State Beverages Corporation Ltd (Bevco) had been planning to sell the new products at its premium outlets from Monday, technical issues have forced it to put off the launch.
Bevco managing director H Venkatesh attributed the delay to ‘’label registration issues between suppliers and the Excise Department’’.
As many as 147 FMFL and foreign-made wine brands from 17 companies are preparing to hit the Kerala market following the state government’s decision to allow Bevco to sell FMFL and foreign-made wine alongside IMFL (Indian-made foreign liquor).
Bevco hopes to rake in an additional `100 crore a year from FMFL and FMW sales.
The FMFL prices range between `880 for a 500 ml bottle to a whopping `57,710 for a 700 ml bottle (a Glenfiddich single malt). Wines alone constitute over 40 brands.
In addition to whisky, vodka, gin, rum and brandy - alcoholic beverages already sold by Bevco - the new decision will also see the arrival of other drinks like tequila and liqueur (a strong, sweet alcoholic drink taken in small quantity at the end of a meal). Cointreau, for instance, is an orange-flavoured liqueur from France.