IT is a move many in the Scottish drinks industry have been calling for.
The commitment by the new Scottish Distillers Association to make clear precisely what constitutes a Scottish spirit – be it gin, whisky, vodka or even rum – is a direct response to concerns which have reached fever pitch in the sector in recent months. For while consumers have lapped up the explosion of Scottish craft spirits, the industry has until now lacked the framework many feel it needs to protect producers and consumers. This has especially been the case for Scottish gin, the runaway star of the scene which continues to spawn new products at a rapid rate.
While there are many scores of Scottish gins on the market, the number which can claim to be being wholly distilled and produced in Scotland is much smaller. Can a gin truly be described as Scottish if it is largely manufactured elsewhere and given a tartan touch with the odd botanical thrown in and some haggis and bagpipes branding?
Not so according to many established producers, who will doubtless welcome the clarity the new association is pledging to bring.
However, it is not just gin the association is seeking to protect. As vice-chairman Liam Hughes emphasised, it is all spirits made in Scotland that its accreditation scheme is designed to safeguard. And this, he said, is important for both distillers and the people who buy their wares.
With food and drink of such crucial importance to the Scottish economy, it is a timely intervention and a key step forward in putting the definition of all Scottish spirits on a legal footing.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here