Scotch Whisky industry to 'robustly defend' Single Malt definition

The Scottish Whisky industry has warned the reputation of single malt whisky from the UK could be damaged if proposed protection for English Whisky goes ahead.

The English Whisky Guild (EWG) has applied for Geographical Indication (GI) protection status to the UK Government.

The protective status would give single malt English Whisky protection from “misuse or imitation”.

It can apply to agricultural products, spirits, beer, wines, and other food and drink.

Currently the process to create single malt Scotch Whisky, including malting, must be done at one location.

However, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) say the proposals for English Whisky don’t require malting to be done at the same site.

This means those producing single malt in England can get malted barley from an external malting house, if the malting process is done in England.

The SWA has warned the move would be “very damaging” for the reputation of single malt whisky from the UK, “and by extension Single Malt Scotch Whisky”.

The body says it will “robustly defend” against “any devaluation of the Single Malt category”.

Currently, the move is under consultation by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

Scottish Whisky is a valuable export for the economy, with the latest figures showing £5.4bn worth of exports last year.

According to the SWA there are more than 150 distilleries in Scotland.

In comparison, the English Whisky Guild says there are around 50 active distilleries in England.

The EWG has been contacted for comment on the application for GI status.

The application has recently been published for opposition, giving authorities and organisations three months to object.

A spokesperson for DEFRA said: “No decisions have been made on whether to recognise English Whisky as a Geographical Indication (GI) – the application process is ongoing.”