Support for a review of a ruling on whisky produced in England has come from an unlikely source: an English distillery.
Liam Hirt, founder of Bristol-based Circumstance Distillery warns that the geographic indication risks making single malt English whisky indistinguishable from Scotch and creating confusion for consumers.
He intends to appeal Defra’s decision to approve the new accreditation, arguing that elements of the specification impose Scottish whisky traditions on a diverse and rapidly developing English whisky industry.
Defra approved the application for English Whisky GI status on 11 September. It has prompted an appeal from the Scotch Whisky Association, the Irish Whiskey Association and Welsh Whisky Association.
Mr Hirt has consistently supported the principle of a GI for English whisky but formally objected to elements of the specification submitted by the English Whisky Guild (EWG), particularly the proposed definition of single malt English whisky. He says subsequent discussions failed to resolve his objections.
“There were a lot of very, very good things in the English Whisky GI, but it could have been a lot better if it had followed the Welsh Whisky GI rather than the Scottish,” he said.
“The Welsh GI took inspiration from GIs from around the world, rather than exclusively from the SWA. As a result, Single Malt Welsh Whisky can distinguish itself from Scotch. As things currently stand, Single Malt English Whisky cannot.
“Two things will happen. Distilleries that work within the GI will be virtually indistinguishable from Scotch but, for whatever reason, will be proudly English Whisky. Distilleries that work outside the GI will be the exciting innovators and proudly non-English Whisky. This will be very confusing for the consumer. A GI reflecting the broad church that is the current English whisky industry would allow the consumer to know what they are actually buying.”
Mr Hirt added: “Defra made the same mistake with English sparkling wine. Instead of crowning English sparkling wine as an indisputable global luxury, Defra’s bungled rules handed boutique producers a headache and consumers a riddle. It is now the same with English Whisky.
The decision comes amid rapid growth in English whisky. According to Defra, there are now more than 70 distilleries producing English whisky, compared with 46 in 2023. English whisky is exported to more than 30 countries, while an estimated £1 billion of maturing stock is currently held in casks across England.
Circumstance Distillery brought whisky production back to Bristol after an absence of more than 80 years.
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