The Union Territories have the cheapest alcohol due to tax waivers, so be sure to hit Delhi, Daman or Pondicherry. Goa is known to have the cheapest alcohol in India. The taxes on alcohol vary from state to state. Maharashtra has the highest tax on alcohol. Rates on alcohol can fluctuate at any time, due to increases on taxes, licensing, and gallonage fees.
What is the Legal Drinking Age in India?
Like many countries around the world, India also has a minimum drinking age and like other countries, the minimum age varies by state. Here is a breakdown:
You must be 18 years old or more to drink legally in Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim, Puducherry, Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, and Goa.
You must be 21 years old or more to drink legally in Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra (beer only), Orissa, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand.
You must be 25 years old or more to legally drink in Punjab, Meghalaya, Delhi, Maharashtra (hard liquor), Haryana, Chandigarh.
Alcohol consumption is completely illegal in Gujarat, Lakshadweep, Manipur and Nagaland.
Keep in mind (and be prepared) when travelling to India that there are “dry days”. These days can vary by state and days are added based on a variety of things such as elections and religious observances. There are standard dry days in India which are Independence Day, Republic Day, and Gandhi Jayanti (August 15th, January 26th and October 2nd respectively.)
In 2020, statista.com did a large survey to find out which city in India consumes the most alcohol and reports that Pune has the highest rate of alcohol consumption.
Fun fact: the most expensive alcohol in India is Greedy Angel’s – Chairman Reserve while the cheapest alcohol is Old Monk Rum but Desi Daru is the most popular.