'No free ride for English whisky': Why Single Malt Scotch is worth fighting for
21 February 2025, 15:21
What is the meaning of ‘Single’? That has been a live question in the world of whisky this week after the UK government launched a consultation on granting English Whisky legal status.
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A simple definition of ‘Single’ might be “only one, not one of several”. That is certainly the view of the Scotch Whisky industry when it comes to what can be described as a ‘Single Malt’ whisky.
Only one location. Only one site. Only one distillery where the new make spirit is created from the malted barley connected to one place, maintaining that fundamental link between community and spirit which has underpinned the Single Malt Scotch Whisky category for decades.
But that is not what the proposed English Whisky Single Malt definition sets out. It is certainly in the “one of several” category – several locations, several producers, several sites at which the pre-distilled alcohol is created from barley.
Rather than the new make spirit being produced at just one site, the intention is to have the distillery just a final stage. It becomes a single step rather than the integral place of production.
That is not good enough to be called ‘Single Malt’ – a category of whisky which comes with cache for a reason. Thirty years ago, only 30 million bottles of Scotch Whisky were exported around the world.
Last year that reached 127 million bottles – or four every second. The Scotch Whisky industry has built the reputation of the category and the consumer expectations of integrity and quality that go with it.
But under the plans set out this week, if agreed, consumers may be faced with two Single Malts on the shelf, one from Scotland and one from England, with no idea that they will be produced to very different standards.
As drafted, the definition of ‘Single Malt’ English whisky would undercut Scotch Whisky by free riding on its hard fought reputation, avoid the necessary investment to make Single Malt at one site, and undermine the quality standard which has been nurtured by communities across Scotland.
Many English whisky distilleries already produce Single Malt the right way, producing the new make spirit on one site. It is a growing industry and is free to compete with Scotch Whisky – but it should do so on a level playing field.
Innovation does not mean taking advantage of the reputation created by others to sell a different product. There should be no confusion around the single malt category for consumers.
Single Malt Scotch Whisky has created the reputation of the Single Malt category through stringent standards and clear process based in one location and one community. Millions of tourists have seen this when they visit distilleries in Scotland, walking from mashing to fermentation to distilling. They see a living story and production of an iconic product whose origins date back to 1494.
That is a reputation worth fighting for.
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Mark Kent is the Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association.
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