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Westminster’s plans to confirm the English single Malta whiskey branded “sabotage” Scottish politicians who are afraid to undermine one of their main export industries.
The consultation was launched this week on proposals that will allow whiskey to distilled in England to be classified as “single malt” and gave the same geographical branding as its Scottish rival.
Manufacturers seek protected geographical status, which is given products Like champagne and corneal pastry, as a mark of quality and authenticity, allowing premium prices.
“This is an act of sabotage and another clear attack on one of the key industries of Scotland by the Labor Government that simply doesn’t care,” said Graham Leadbitter, MP of the Scottish National Party for Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey, the constituency is home to a third of a third Scottish distillery whiskey.
He said the proposal “completely undermined” a whiskey sector of $ 5.4 billion. “Sir Keir Starmer now has to end these harmful plans,” he added, referring to the British Prime Minister.
On Thursday, the first minister John Swinney said Scotland government he would do “all the necessary views for the protection of identity and the character of the Scottish whiskey”.
The Scotch whiskey association also warned that the application would undermine the pedigree and the title “Single Malt”.
Scotch requires that the malt grains be mashed, fermented and distilled in the same place for the drink to qualify for classification. However, the English application requires that the whiskey is only distilled in one place to get a “single malt” rating.
It would be “very harmful” that English whiskey can describe their spirit as “single malt”, although they have produced a “longtime tradition” of the Scottish Whiskey Industry in a different way, SWA warned.
“In short, it allows for washing (fermented fluid) to tank from other places,” SWA added. “This would break the fundamental relationship with the place, which is the central element of an individual malt.”
The English guild of whiskey, founded in 2022 and with 26 members of the members, said its application in accordance with the USA, which produces whiskey, and aligned with one Malt Welsh Whiskey geographical indication.
“These different standards support the creation of quality whiskey, at the same time encouraging innovation and differentiation in every country,” said Morag Garden CEO.
The body said they would work with Defra, such as IS SWA and other parties to ensure “robust” standards for English whiskey.
Row Whiskey comes as a Scottish industry, vital exports for Scotland and the UK, faces the turbulent global conditions that have recovered from the Pandemia Coid-19, with higher entry expenses and muffled demand, which led to overcrowded warehouses.
The export of Scottish whiskey fell 3.7 percent to £ 5.4 billion in 2024, while distillars warned about continuous pressure on consumer consumer consumer, SWA said.
Export with one malt was reduced by 17 percent of £ 1.7 billion in the same period, while the total quantities of exports increased, which reflected “variable trends in global consumer preferences”, as many drinks are transferred to cheaper whiskey. Scotch makes up 99 percent of all individual malt in the UK and 93 percent of international trade individual whiskey.
SWA called the Government of the UK to alleviate the growing domestic pressure on the industry, including a decrease in excise duties that sees 70 percent of the bottle of the average price now collected in tax. The body of the industry also criticized the decision of the UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves to increase the duty on ghosts, claiming that it was interrupted by the premiere of the Prime Minister to “Refundable Manufacturers Scotland on Vizina”.
Emma Harper, SNP MSP and Deputy Crossing Cross Party on whiskey whiskey, described the move as “amazing”. “That would destroy the whiskey industry in Scotland and resulted in the loss of jobs and exports,” she said.
