Why Labour needs to wake up to this threat to the £5.36 billion Scotch whisky industry

In Scotland, Ireland and Wales, it is accepted that 'single malt' means whisky that has been made, from start to finish, in one place (Picture: Jeff J Mitchell) | Getty Images

Scotch whisky is a global phenomenon and its economic and cultural importance is hard to overstate.

In 2025, exports totalled £5.36 billion, with an average of 43 bottles leaving the country for near and distant lands every single second. It accounts for an astonishing 21 per cent of all UK food and drink exports and, worldwide, more of it is consumed than the whiskies of Ireland, Japan and the USA – combined.

Why? Because, whichever way you spell it, it is, quite simply, the best whisky in the world.

However, that reputation is under threat after a decision by the UK government to grant ‘geographical indication’ (GI) status to English whisky. The problem is over the definition of the term “single malt”.

READ MORE: Why Labour's redefining of 'single malt' for English whisky is a threat to Scotch – Alistair Carmichael

Row is not ‘bewildering’, it’s simple

In Scotland, Ireland and Wales, it is accepted as meaning whisky that is mashed, fermented and distilled in one place. In England, a single-malt may have been mashed and fermented somewhere else which, crucially, makes the whole process cheaper. This raises the question of what the word “single” actually means.

According to the Westminster government, they had no reason to deny GI status, with the standards of English whisky a matter for the industry. That claim is disputed.

The English Whisky Guild has now sought to play down the row, with chief executive Morag Garden saying she found it all “slightly bewildering”.

However, the problem is simple: the government’s endorsement of this method of production – unwitting or not – is undermining the whole concept of ‘single-malt’, promoting an inherently cheaper rival to Scotch, and creating a financial pressure on Scottish, Irish and Welsh distilleries, who are united in their objections, to metaphorically ‘water down’ the quality of their product.

READ MORE: Sir Kenny Dalglish celebrates his lifetime achievements with 'rarest Scotch whiskies in the world'

The Scotch Whisky Association has suggested the English product could be termed ‘malt whisky’, rather than ‘single malt’, which seems eminently reasonable and definitionally accurate.

Only a fool would think that because Scotch whisky is a global success now it will always be. Retaining that status requires the maintenance of the highest of standards.

Labour needs to start treating this issue with the seriousness it deserves. And if it wants some reasons why, there are 5.36 billion of them.