English Whisky gains Geographical Indication status
English Whisky has been granted Geographical Indication (GI) status by the Department for Environmental, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), after more than six years of work by trade body the English Whisky Guild.
The decision means that both “English Whisky” and “English Whiskey” are legally protected under the UK Spirit Drinks Geographical Indications Scheme – joining Scotch Whisky, Single Malt Welsh Whisky, and Irish Whiskey.
Under the approved rules, English Whisky must be made from UK cereal grain and English water; distilled in England from wort created in England, at less than 94.8% ABV; matured in England for a minimum of three years in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres; and bottled at a minimum of 40% ABV.
Plain caramel is the only permitted additive, and only for colour.
Producers wishing to use the protected status will also first need to be verified under HMRC’s Sprit Drink Verification Scheme.
The English Whisky Guild first applied for GI status in February 2022 and has been working on securing the protections since then.
The organisation’s chair, Dan Szor, welcomed the final approval, explaining that: “This is a defining moment for English Whisky. As a founder and now Chair of the English Whisky Guild, I am immensely proud to see our category formally recognised with its own Geographical Indication.
“It gives English Whisky a clear and protected identity, celebrates the quality and provenance behind what we produce, and sends a powerful signal to consumers and markets around the world.”
The Guild added that the GI is “rooted in the character of the English sector, rather than modelled on the Scotch, Welsh or Irish frameworks”, with points of difference including a unique 100% UK-grown grain requirement – intended to support British agriculture; the ability to mature in wooden casks other than oak; and flexibility for distilleries to collaborate with local breweries on mashing and fermentation.
However, others are less confident about the announcement, with Liam Hirt – the founder of the Bristol-based Circumstance Distillery – suggesting that the framework could have been “a lot better” if it had followed the Welsh GI model rather than the Scottish.
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