Whisky associations challenge English Whisky GI approval

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) lodged an appeal on 8 October after DEFRA approved the English Whisky GI, according to Harpers. The Irish Whiskey, Scotch Whisky and Welsh Whisky Associations then issued a joint statement raising concerns about the approval process and the GI’s future requirements.

The SWA told Harpers that the GI permits single malt English whisky to be mashed and fermented away from the distillery. It proposed that whisky not mashed, fermented and distilled at one distillery be labelled English Malt Whisky, with a transition period for affected producers. The association said the English Whisky Guild rejected that proposal.

The Guild’s chief executive, Morag Garden, said the GI codifies practices already used by the English whisky industry. The appeal puts the GI’s production rules and category definitions under dispute.