Cross border whisky struggle erupts as Scotch business slams UK authorized bid to offer English spirit particular standing
A cross border whisky war has erupted after plans to give the English take on the spirit special status sparked claims of sabotage.
Scottish producers fear the method of making the drink south of the Border will ‘damage’ the reputation of the world-famous Scotch single malt.
They also argue the move would ‘trample on tradition’, be detrimental to the multi-billion pound industry, and devalue the characteristics of the Scottish dram.
But an SNP MP called it ‘sabotage’ and said it was a ‘blatant attack on one of Scotland’s key industries’ by Keir Starmer’s government demanding the plans were reversed.
The war of words comes as the English Whisky Guild asked the UK Government to give its product a special geographical indication status (GI status) – and in doing so set out different rules it would have to follow in producing the spirit.
The GI status is a way of guaranteeing a product’s characteristics or reputation, authenticity and origin.
Yesterday, First Minister John Swinney vowed that the Scottish Government would ‘make all necessary representations on this issue to protect the identity and character of Scotch whisky’.
The English Whisky Guild wants its product to have a special geographical indication status
The Scotch Whisky Association also hit out at the plans, which its director of strategy and communications Graeme Littlejohn said – if approved – would ‘trample on the tradition and reputation of single malt which have been defined and promoted by the Scotch whisky industry over decades’.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is considering whether to grant GI status to English whisky – and the UK Government department has launched a three-month public consultation into whether it should be allowed.
Yet, in November 2023 Sir Keir Starmer pledged to ‘back Scotch producers to the hilt’.
Scotch single malt – which already has GI status – requires that mashing, fermenting, and distillation occurs on one site at the same distillery in Scotland.
But English single malt mandates only that distillation happens at a single distillery south of the Border.
The Scotch Whisky Association has come out fighting, and has promised it would ‘robustly defend against any devaluation of the single malt category’.
A spokesman said: ‘The proposal to define “single malt” English whisky only requires distillation at the single distillery location and not the creation of the spirit from malted barley at a single site.
‘This is entirely inconsistent with the reputation of single malt whisky, which is famous for its integral connection to place, and would undermine the Single Malt Scotch Whisky category.
‘It would be very damaging for the reputation of single malt whisky from the UK, and by extension single malt Scotch whisky, if English whiskies were allowed to describe spirit as “single malt” despite being produced in a different manner to the established process and long-standing traditions of the Scotch Whisky industry.’
SNP MP Graham Leadbitter, whose Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey constituency is home to Speyside Malts and one-third of Scotland’s whisky distilleries, was outraged by the move.
The politician, who serves as vice-chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Scotch whisky, said: ‘This is an act of sabotage and is yet another blatant attack on one of Scotland’s key industries by a Labour Government that simply doesn’t care.
‘These plans pull the rug from beneath the crown jewel in Scotland’s exports and completely undermines our world class Scotch Whisky sector – Sir Keir Starmer must end these damaging plans now.
‘Not content with hammering Scotch Whisky with higher taxes, this fresh attack shows the complete disregard Westminster has for Scotland’s industries and is a kick in the teeth to distilleries and workers right across our country.
‘We’re fortunate in Scotland to be home to the finest whisky brands in the world. We recognise the economic benefits and soft power that comes with that, the rest of the world recognises it, it’s time now for Westminster to recognise it too and put these ludicrous plans to bed.’
MSPs have also been voicing their fury at the move, and yesterday SNP’s Emma Harper told the Scottish Parliament she was left in ‘disbelief and outrage’ at the potential for the English drink to be given the status which would ‘trample on the reputation and tradition of our whisky and Scottish brand’.
Mr Swinney said he shared her concerns, and added: ‘The government will make all necessary representations on this issue to protect the identity and character of Scotch whisky.’
The Scottish whisky industry is huge, with 43 bottles of Scotch whisky exported every second to markets all over the world.
And last year those exports were worth £5.4billion to the economy, and accounted for 74 per cent of Scottish food and drink exports.
In the application to the UK Government, the English Whisky Guild said that English Whisky ‘can be described as a “New World” style whisky which is recognised for “complexity of character” with innovative differences in aromas and flavours profiles, which are championed by individual English distilleries’.
A Defra spokesman said: ‘No decisions have been made on whether to recognise English Whisky as a geographical indication – the application process is ongoing.’
