Goa government classified the country liquor, Feni as Heritage Spirit of Goa.  Feni is the form of spirit produced exclusively in the coastal state.

• Feni is the first liquor product in the country to obtain such status and got its Geographical Indication (GI) certification in 2000.
• It used in various cultural traditions, cuisines and is well known for its medicinal value also. Hence, the Government opined not categorise it as country liquor as it is presently defined under the Goa Excise Duty Act, 1964 and proposed to bring an amendment to the Act.

Feni is a brew made from coconut or cashew fruits and is synonymous with the Goan ethos and identity.

About FENI

• Feni (sometimes spelled fenny or fenim) is a spirit produced exclusively in Goa, India.
• There are two types of feni; cashew feni and coconut feni, depending on the original ingredient.
• Feni is classified as a “country liquor”, and is therefore not allowed to be sold outside the state of Goa.
• The word feni is derived from the Sanskrit word phena (“froth”); this is thought to be because of the bubbles that form a light froth when the liquor is shaken in a bottle or poured into a glass.
• It is generally accepted that coconut feni was produced before and then followed to adapt the same procedure for distilling the exotic cashew fruit.
• There is ambiguity about when and who started distilling fermented juice into a spirit.