For Delhi tipplers home delivery of booze some time away

For starters, home deliveries of liquor have been allowed for holders of L-13 license, “which are not issued in Delhi at the moment.” Moreover, a mechanism that will govern home delivery of alcohol in the capital is yet to be set up.

As per the Delhi Excise (Amendment) Rules, 2021, published in a gazette notification on Monday, L-13 license holders—will be permitted to carry out home delivery of liquor using a web portal or mobile app.

The rules do not apply to all liquor retailers in Delhi.

“The licensee (L-13) shall make delivery of liquor at the residences only if the order is received through a mobile app or online web portal and no delivery shall be made to any hostel, office, and institution. The licensee shall not sell liquor to any person for consumption “on” the premises,” it said.

However, several industry executives said they are seeking more clarity on terms and conditions for issuing of L-13 licenses.

To be sure, L-13 license has been part of the previous Delhi Excise Rules of 2010, explained Rahul Singh, who runs The Beer Cafe. Its scope has now been expanded. “In 2010, it was for Indian liquor only and ordering had to be through email or fax. As times have changed, the 2021 amendment includes Indian as well as foreign liquor, and orders have to be received through mobile app or web portal,” he said.

Vinod Giri, director general, Confederation of Indian Alcoholic Beverage Companies (CIABC), an industry body for domestic liquor makers, however, said that the process of giving out the L-13 license and the terms and conditions related to it will be clear once the details are spelled out. “While the announcement establishes the intention of the government—unless the details come out, it is difficult to say who is eligible and how will the delivery system work,” he said.

Giri said the implementation could “take some time”, without sharing specific timelines.

Others said they are awaiting clarity on how orders received through a mobile app or online web portal will be fulfilled or whether these orders will be carried out by the retailer or third-party aggregators such as Zomato or Swiggy.

“Delhi would need to clarify how the system would operate. Whether retailers would be allowed to home deliver, whether there would be a separate licensing regime, whether separate entities would be brought on board for delivery, or, will the manufacturers themselves be allowed to tie up through wholesalers and deliver. Once the model is clear, it would be easier to understand how we would be able to operate,” said Shifa Rastogi, brand marketing head at craft beer brand BeeYoung.

Making liquor available online will give the industry access to a much wider audience, she added. Going digital also has the benefit of greater transparency and help with product discovery, she said.

Others said several formats exist for execution of home delivery that the Delhi government could adopt.

“There are eight states in India that have adopted home delivery through different platforms—be it aggregators, their own sites and applications, while others use their own retail staff,” said Ashu Ratan Khare, director at Rock & Storm Distilleries that sells Garrison Reserve whisky and Revolution Rum in the country.

Khare said while the move is “good” since the pandemic has led to an uptick in technology adoption, the success will depend on how well it is executed at the ground level.

The amended excise rules on Monday also permit microbreweries to offer takeaways and supply bottled brews to other bars and restaurants.

CIABC said that cities of Mumbai and Kolkata are two good examples that show that the mechanism of home delivery of liquor can work. “We hope that Governments of other states with large urban clusters will also take similar steps and allow home delivery of liquor,” it added.