India has granted ‘geographical indication of origin’ (GI) status to Scotch Whisky, a legal protection that will help prevent the sale of counterfeit products in the Indian market as well as reinforce the authenticity of the product for the consumer.
The recognition was marked by an event in Edinburgh attended by the Indian consul-general Mr Anil Anand, Scotland Office minister Mr David Mundell and Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) chief Mr Gavin Hewitt on Friday. The SWA had applied for the GI status in India in 2009.
The status - the first such protection in the Indian sub-continent for whisky - now means that only spirits produced in Scotland can use ‘Scotch Whisky’ in their labels.
Sale of counterfeit ‘Scotch Whisky’ in India had led to a belief in the industry that more ‘Scotch Whisky was sold in India than was made in Scotland’, but such sale will now face major challenges due to the GI status granted to ‘Scotch Whisky’
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.
The GI registration supports the integrity of Scotch Whisky as a product made in Scotland according to the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009.
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