If you are living in Kerala and love alcohol, this news is for you. On Wednesday, 9th April, 2025, the Kerala Government decided to relax restrictions on serving liquor on dry days, subject to certain conditions. The Kerala government cabinet approved the new liquor policy draft for the year 2025-26 that lays down new guidelines for serving liquor in the state. Here are all the details you need to know about the new liquor policy in Kerala.
Kerala Liquor Policy For 2025-26
One-Day Permit System For Dry Days
The Kerala Cabinet has approved the new liquor policy draft for 2025-26. The new policy has introduced a special one-day permit system to allow liquor service on dry days. According to this policy, hotels ranked three-star and above, as well as heritage and classic resorts, can apply for a one-day permit on the first day of the month.
They’ll be allowed to serve alcohol on this day for business meetings, international conferences, and other gatherings. To get the permit, a fee of INR 50,000 is required, and the permit must be applied for at least seven days in advance.
However, on other days, no permission has been granted.
Dry days refer to the days that are observed during major national events, religious events, and election periods. Dry days are called so because the sale of alcohol is prohibited on these days. Even though sale is prohibited, consumption of alcohol is not prohibited as long as you’re not doing it publicly.
Permission For Breweries And Industrial Parks
The new policy also justifies the permission granted to the liquor manufacturing center in Elapully, Palakkad. This manufacturing center was embroiled in controversy for various reasons for a long time, but the new policy justifies the permission it has been granted. The policy allows qualified centers like Elapully to apply for the establishment of breweries and distilleries. Also, if these units sell horticultural wines through the Beverages Corporation, they’ll be eligible for a concession. Moreover, it also permits liquor service in industrial parks. Previously, in the 2022-23 policy, IT parks had received a similar permission.
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Export Permission To Lakshadweep
The Beverages Corporation has been granted permission to export liquor to Lakshadweep. However, the exported liquor will have higher taxes. Moreover, to improve tracking and transparency, liquor bottles sold by the Beverages Corporation will have mandatory QR codes.
Toddy And Cruise Liquor Regulations
The new liquor policy also allows bottled palm wine to be exported with a proper request from the Toddy Board. However, the policy did not accept the demand to reduce the distance limit between toddy shops and places of worship and schools from 400 meters to 150 meters. The new policy has plans to revise the current limit on the daily sapping from a coconut tree. The current limit is capped at two liters.
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Summing Up
The Kerala Cabinet’s new liquor policy for 2025-26 has introduced plenty of new reforms and guidelines. Be it new liquor regulations, one-day permit for dry days, or the permission to export liquor to Lakshadweep, these policies will surely make liquor production and sale in the state more streamlined and efficient. The policy will also majorly focus on reducing dependency on other states for liquor production.
