The UK Government is being urged to reverse its decision to give English whisky the same level of legal protection as Scotch Whisky amid concerns over differences in how the two products can be made.
SNP MSP for Moray Laura Mitchell has joined the Scotch Whisky Association in challenging the move, arguing that Scotch faces stricter production requirements while English whisky would receive comparable protection.
The dispute centres on the rules governing single malt whisky and the geographical protections attached to products made in Scotland and England.
Under existing requirements for single malt Scotch Whisky, the spirit must be mashed, fermented and distilled at a single distillery in Scotland.
The proposed rules covering English whisky would allow some stages of production to take place away from the primary distillery.
That distinction has prompted opposition from the Scotch Whisky Association, which has said it is “profoundly concerned” by the decision.
The industry body has warned that the English rules are “entirely inconsistent with the reputation of single malt whisky”.
For Moray, where whisky production is deeply embedded in both the economy and identity of communities across Speyside, the argument has particular significance.
Mitchell is now calling on the Labour UK Government to abandon the move.
“Our whisky is our premier product and it is absolutely wrong for the Labour UK Government to dilute that status by giving English whisky the same legal protections.
“Once again our whisky trade has been targeted by the Labour Party with tax hikes and sky high energy costs already causing considerable strain.
“The Labour government must now do the right thing, listen to the Scotch Whisky industry, and scrap this disastrous proposal.
“The First Minister took the case for our industry right to the heart of the White House and we secured an end to the crippling tariffs, that was felt right across Moray and this flagrant disregard from Westminster shows exactly why we need a fresh start with independence.”
The row comes at a time when the Scotch Whisky industry has been pushing governments on several fronts over the pressures facing producers.
The sector has raised concerns over spirits duty and energy costs while continuing to defend the rules and protections which underpin the Scotch Whisky name in international markets.
The latest dispute is not about preventing whisky being produced in England, but about whether products made under different production requirements should receive an equivalent level of legal recognition.
For the Scotch industry, those production rules form part of the value attached to the name on every bottle.
The SNP is now demanding that ministers reconsider the English whisky proposals and listen to the concerns being raised by an industry with a particularly significant economic footprint across Moray and the wider Highlands.
