Overview: English whisky has received geographical protection status, aligning it legally with Scotch, Welsh, and Irish whiskies. While the Scottish National Party views this as a political opportunity to critique England, production requirements differ significantly between the two regions. The UK’s geographical indication system remains limited compared to European counterparts like France and Spain.
The Full Story
English whisky has long faced criticism regarding quality, though new producers are changing perceptions. Recently, English whisky was granted geographical protection status, aligning it with the legal protection afforded to Scotch, Welsh, and Irish whiskies. This development prompted the Scottish National Party to declare that “Scotland’s still an afterthought,” utilizing the issue to take a swipe at England.
Under the geographical protection rules, Scotch and English whiskies are subject to different production requirements. For Scotch whisky, mashing, fermentation, and distillation must all take place at the same distillery. For English whisky, mashing and fermentation must take place in England but can be carried out away from the distillery where the spirit is distilled.
Production & Profile
The rules governing geographically protected Irish and Welsh whiskies are different again, while the boundaries of the five main Scotch whisky-producing localities can seem rather arbitrary. Campbeltown and Speyside, for instance, have boundaries based on electoral arrangements dating from 2006. Whether Scottish council wards were gerrymandered that year with whisky production in mind remains unclear.
Brand & Industry History
The UK only does this for around 100 food and drink products, often without much detail. France established the predecessor of the Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité in 1935, which oversees its geographical protection system. Britain, by contrast, inherited its system from the European Union and has largely treated it as an exercise in regulatory compliance. The UK’s geographical protection system covers food and drink through geographical indications (GIs), including Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status.
What This Means
Britain is the outlier among European nations with similarly rich food traditions. France has almost 400 protected wine regions, more than 60 for cheese, and countless others covering the many foods and drinks that form part of its culinary heritage. Spain, Italy, and other European countries have comparable systems. Quality is not the issue. British food and drink can rival that of anywhere in Europe. English sparkling wine, for example, frequently outperforms Champagne houses on taste, yet Britain’s geographical protection regulations make no meaningful provision for this.
Consumer Takeaway
The closest designation is the locality simply known as Sussex, an area larger than Bordeaux, let alone Champagne. Many of England’s finest wines are not even produced in Sussex. Geographical protections need expanding and codifying properly. Britain’s food and drink heritage deserves better than a neglected tick-box exercise.
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