Scotch Whisky to achieve GI Protection in China soon

    As a measure taken to ensure that all products labeled as Scotch whisky actually do come from Scotland, the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) had applied for Geographical Indications in 2007. Since then, around 200 fake products, labeled Scotch, have been investigated in China.

    The SWA head Gavin Hewitt, as part of a delegation including Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond, Scottish Enterprise chief executive Jack Perry, and UK’s ambassador to China Sir William Ehrman, has urged the Chinese Government minister Wang Yong to take swift action on the case.

    The delegation expects better legal protection of Scotch in China and positive developments in other areas. The SWA expects to achieve Geographical Indication of Origin for Scotch whisky in China soon.

    China is the 15th largest maker of Scotch whiskey worldwide, with the industry being worth £42 million to the Scottish economy in 2007.

    Sales of Scotch have been boosted in China as a fad for drinking it with Green Tea, with Chivas Regal being the top-selling brand in the country. Chivas had also been involved in a dispute with China over allegations that the Keith-based company was exporting a younger vintage of the Chivas Regal Premium blend, forcing the owner Chivas Brothers and French parent Pernod Ricard to publish an apology in a Shanghai newspaper.