The Maharashtra government recently announced that it would halve the special duty on imported alcohol. Now the excise service has updated the tariffs for some of the brands affected by the rule change. While Maharashtra’s special duty rate remains the highest at 150 percent, along with Kerala this is a significant drop from the previous duty rate of 300 percent. The 50 percent reduction in excise duties will apply to whiskey, rum, brandy, gin and vodka. The rate reduction will not be applicable for beer and wine.
Revenue from imported spirits during the three fiscal years 2016-17 to 2018-19 was Rs 200 crore. But revenues were halved to Rs 100 crore in 2019-2020 and 2020-21 due to the increase in sales tax, according to data from the excise department.
Here are the prices of certain spirits updated by the excise service. The rates of other alcohols are expected to follow soon.
| Brand | New price (in Rs) | Old price (in Rs) |
| Johnny Walker Black Label Blended Scotch Whiskey | 3,750 | 5,760 |
| Johnny Walker Red Label Blended Scotch Whiskey | 1,950 | 3,060 |
| J&B Rare Blended Scotch Whiskey | 2,100 | 3,060 |
| Jameson Triple Distilled Irish Whiskey | 2500 | 3,800 |
| Blantyre Finest Blended Scotch Whiskey | 2,100 | 3,075 |
| Chivas Regal (12 years) Blended Scotch Whiskey | 3,850 | 5.850 |
| Jordans London Dry Gin | 1650 | 2,400 |
First publication: STI
