The English Whisky Guild has submitted a proposal to the UK government seeking geographical indication for English whisky. This application, directed to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra), aims to allow the use of the term "single malt" for whisky made in England. Under this proposal, "single malt English whisky" would apply to spirits distilled at a single site in England, with mashing and fermentation potentially taking place elsewhere. The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) strongly opposes the proposal, arguing that it undermines the value of the single malt category.
The SWA contends that the English method simplifies the traditional process used in Scotland. The association plans a formal response to Defra, emphasizing that any devaluation of single malt could harm the Scotch whisky industry. Opponents of the proposal have a three-month window to respond.
"What the English proposal would do is to strip away the first two of those three elements and really remove the fundamental connection to place that single malt Scotch whisky has." – SWA
"What Scotch whisky does is it takes the malted barley and it creates the mash, it ferments it and then it distils it at one site" – Graham Littlejohn, SWA director of strategy and communications
The English Whisky Guild defends its proposal, agreeing with the SWA on the importance of provenance and a sense of place in whisky production. The guild insists that English whisky distillers must source their grain from within the UK and collaborates with local breweries to leverage their brewing expertise for creating innovative whiskies.
"provenance and a sense of place is a critical element of whisky" – English Whisky Guild
"their brewing expertise to create innovative and distinct whiskies" – English Whisky Guild
"English whisky distillers' grain had to be sourced from the UK" – English Whisky Guild
The proposal has sparked backlash from Scottish distilleries and politicians. Scottish First Minister John Swinney announced that the Scottish government would respond, while Mairi Gougeon, Scotland's cabinet secretary for rural affairs, expressed strong opposition to allowing English whisky makers to use the term "single malt."
"to undermine the reputation or definition of the term single malt could have devastating effects on our iconic whisky industry and would be wholly unacceptable" – Mairi Gougeon, Scotland's cabinet secretary for rural affairs