Scotch is now ‘Made in Scotland’ only!
05 Jul 2011
London: Scottish brewers will have breathed a collective sigh of relief as one of the biggest consumer markets in the world today finally accorded legal protection to its prime export – whiskey or more popularly known as 'Scotch Whiskey'. India has granted 'geographical indication of origin' (GI) status to 'Scotch Whisky', a legal protection that formally recognises that as a product 'Scotch Whiskey' can only be made in Scotland.
The move will prevent the sale of counterfeit products in the Indian market and also reinforce the authenticity of the product for the consumer.
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) had applied for GI status in India in 2009.
The grant of status will allow spirits produced in Scotland only to use the appellation 'Scotch Whisky' in their labels.
The SWA said in a statement that consumers in India will now receive better protection from fake 'Scotch Whisky' following the decision formally to recognise Scotch Whisky as a product that can only be made in Scotland.
As per the Geographical Indications Registry in Chennai, Scotch Whiskey is the 148th item in a list of 151 products that have been given GI status.