The Scotch Whisky Association fiercely protects its liquor's roots

The Scotch Whisky Association fiercely protects its liquor's roots


Food/Health

Being a reference comes with one main disadvantage: imitations. Way to many producers use biased visual identities or designations to let people assume their whisky is indeed Scottish. This is a round-the-clock mission for the Scotch Whisky Association.

Scotch Whisky is savoured all around the globe. 38 bottles are exported every second, produced by one of the 115 licensed Scottish distilleries. This represents around 25% of UK's foreign sales of food and drinks. There may be several whiskies but there's only one Scotch and it can't be made anywhere else but in Scotland. In fact, a Geographical Indication protects the origin of Scotch Whisky. Yet this won't stop dozens of alcohol brands from faking so-called Scottish whiskies throughout the world every year.

The Scotch Whisky Association was born in October 1912 under the name Wine & Spirit Brand Association. Its goal back then was to fight rising taxes on alcohol. It changed its name to Whisky Association 5 years later to focus on whisky only, but handled both Irish and Scottish producers interests. It was re-renamed in 1940 to become the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) and its role now is "to advance the global interests and profile of Scotch Whisky, our members and of the industry as a whole".

The Legal Affairs Department of the SWA regularly works on more than 60 different cases at the same time, involving 30 distinct countries. 400 trademarks alerts per month are under the SWA's microscope too. Fakers misleading intentions are more or less subtle. It can be the use of an English-like brand name, or the full tartan-bagpipe-Highland-castle combo on the packaging. That makes a very large range of issues to work on but preserving the authenticity of Scotch Whisky is vital for its industry... and for whisky connoisseurs.

*Photo: Scotch Whisky Association

News written by the team of The-shops.co.uk The-Shops.co.uk

News in the same category

The Famous 'Friends' Themed Cafe Has Opened in Manchester

The Famous 'Friends' Themed Cafe Has Opened in Manchester

For Manchester-based fans of the hit sitcom Friends, Christmas has come very early this year: to celebrate the show’s 25th anniversary, the Manchester branch of Primark has opened its very own replica of the iconic Central Perk cafe!

  • Food/Health
Zonzon: reinsertion through biscuits made in prison

Zonzon: reinsertion through biscuits made in prison

When the patisserie world meets the prison world, the result is gourmet and committed. Whether it is the Bad Boy's Bakery biscuits created by Gordon Ramsey or the Zonzon project, the aim is to combine reinsertion and gourmet pleasures.

  • Food/Health
  • Way of consumption
New Krispy Kreme is coming to Cambridge

New Krispy Kreme is coming to Cambridge

Krispy Kreme is going to open a new branch in Cambridge and doughnut lovers will be able to enjoy more opportunities to grab their favourite selections after the store announced the second new shop opening, which will join the first one in the Grand Arcad

  • Food/Health
Minipresso: the transportable mini expresso machine

Minipresso: the transportable mini expresso machine

Borrowing its shape from the thermos and its operation from a piston coffee maker, Minipresso is an expresso machine that you can take everywhere. All it needs are hot water, ground coffee or a capsule, and a bit of effort.

  • Food/Health
The Scotch Whisky Association fiercely protects its liquor's roots