Scotch makers condemn English single malt whisky proposal

Plans to permit English whisky makers to make use of the time period “single malt” have led to a backlash by Scottish distilleries and politicians.

Beneath proposals being thought-about by the UK authorities, “single malt English whisky” could possibly be used for the spirit made by a single distillery in England.

Nonetheless, the Scotch Whisky Affiliation (SWA) mentioned it “devalues” single malts as a result of, it claims, the English methodology could be easier than the method utilized in Scotland.

A spokesperson for the Division for Surroundings, Meals & Rural Affairs (Defra) mentioned no choices had been made and the applying course of was “ongoing”.

“What Scotch whisky does is it takes the malted barley and it creates the mash, it ferments it after which it distils it at one website,” Graham Littlejohn, SWA director of technique and communications advised PJDM Good Morning Scotland.

“What the English proposal would do is to strip away the primary two of these three parts and actually take away the basic connection to put that single malt Scotch whisky has.”

Beneath the proposal for English single malt whisky, the drink would solely be required to be distilled at one website, whereas mashing and fermentation may happen elsewhere.

The English Whisky Guild mentioned that its distilleries associate with native breweries not on the identical website to make use of “their brewing experience to create revolutionary and distinct whiskies”.

The guild mentioned it agreed with the SWA that “provenance and a way of place is a vital aspect of whisky” and English whisky distillers’ grain needed to be sourced from the UK.

Mr Littlejohn mentioned that permitting the English trade to make use of the time period for its alcohol “would actually injury the integrity of the one malt class and with it, the repute of the Scotch whisky trade.”

The proposal to permit English single malt whisky is a part of a wider software to Defra by the guild for geographical indication for English whisky.

This might give it protected geographical standing, which means it may solely be used to explain whisky made in England.

Mairi Gougeon, Scotland’s cupboard secretary for rural affairs, mentioned any proposal “to undermine the repute or definition of the time period single malt may have devastating results on our iconic whisky trade and could be wholly unacceptable”.

She mentioned the trade was “of big financial significance to Scotland”, and exported £5.4bn price of products final 12 months.

Scottish First Minister John Swinney mentioned the Scottish authorities would “make all essential representations on this situation to guard the id and the character of Scotch whisky”.

Opponents of the plans have three months to reply.

The SWA mentioned it could reply formally to the Defra session “to robustly defend in opposition to any devaluation of the one malt class”.