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New protection for Scotch Whisky

I was delighted to visit Grangemouth Port to launch the new Whisky regulations this week– an important day for the Scotch Whisky industry as new regulations come into force. These regulations will help to protect one of our biggest industries in Scotland by outlawing the bottling of Single Malt outside Scotland, to put some perspective on its importance – last year the industry was worth over £3bn in exports, a quarter of all food and drink exports from the UK.

I was joined by Gavin Hewitt Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association, Jim Fitzpatrick – Minister for Food, Farming and the Environment at DEFRA, Michael Connarty MP and Cathy Peattie MSP – all of us agreed that this is a step in the right direction – tightening up on the use distillery and regional names, banning the use of ‘Pure’ along with clearer labelling will protect consumers by helping them identify where their Whisky has come from and it will also support the industry by consolidating the legal framework.

The success of the product has attracted imitators and it is important that we protect our key industries, we cannot allow others to trade of our good name and pass off inferior goods as being produced in Scotland. These new rules will protect Scotch Whisky around the globe. The new legislation is the result of years of hard work between the industry and government and has produced a legal framework that the industry can use with confidence to defend itself and its consumers.