Delhi liquor sales cross ₹589 crore ahead of Diwali as 3.31 crore bottles sold, up 13% from last year

Delhi sold liquor worth ₹589.17 crore in the two weeks before Diwali this year, up 13 per cent from ₹518.97 crore a year ago, according to official data cited by PTI.

Around 3.31 crore liquor bottles were sold during the period, compared with 2.96 crore bottles in the same period last year.

Liquor sales also rose sharply on November 7, a day before Diwali. Delhi recorded liquor sales worth ₹79.25 crore that day, with 40.45 lakh bottles sold. A year ago, liquor sales on Diwali eve stood at ₹63.40 crore, with 34.70 lakh bottles sold.

Diwali was a dry day in Delhi this year, with all liquor stores closed across the city as per an earlier order by the Excise Department.

Revenue from liquor sales so far in 2026 has reached ₹792.52 crore, compared with ₹634.08 crore in 2025, registering a 24.9 per cent increase, officials told PTI.

The Excise Department said the festive sales figures are provisional and will be reconciled after final confirmation of data received from the four liquor corporations that conduct retail liquor sales through more than 700 vends across Delhi.

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Retail sales of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), foreign liquor and beer in Delhi are restricted to four government corporations: DTTDC, DSIIDC, DSCSC and DCCWS.

Delhi's liquor retail system is largely government-run. Retail sales of Indian-made foreign liquor (IMFL), foreign liquor and beer are handled by four government corporations: Delhi Tourism and Transportation Development Corporation (DTTDC), Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), Delhi State Civil Supplies Corporation (DSCSC) and Delhi Consumers' Cooperative Wholesale Store (DCCWS).

The Delhi Excise Department regulates the manufacture, possession, transport, sale and consumption of liquor and other intoxicants in the national capital under the Delhi Excise Act, 2009. It also issues and regulates liquor licences for retail and other permitted forms of sale and consumption.

The department uses digital systems to monitor liquor sales and revenue, including tracking liquor bottles through their supply chain. The system helps authorities monitor the movement and sale of liquor in the city.