English whisky nears GI status

An application to register English whisky as a geographical indication (GI) has entered the consultation stage after four years in development.

The English Whisky Guild (EWG), which was established in May 2022 by 16 distillers, revealed that its application for a GI for the category has reached the approval stage and is awaiting ministerial sign-off.

It now goes through a three-month public consultation period (which ends on 19 May 2025), where interested parties can submit a response to oppose or provide feedback to the application.

The EWG had originally submitted its GI application to the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) in February 2022, with the aim of establishing a legal definition of English whisky.

The EWG believes the application will be approved, in line with the three other UK nations – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – which each have their own GI for whisky.

The EWG worked with its 26 member distilleries and Defra to create the proposed GI, ensuring that it aligns with the rest of the UK.

The GI has been established as demand for English whisky continues to grow, with more 30 new whisky distilleries opening in the country in the last three years.

The EWG believes there was a need to establish a country-specific GI for whisky to ensure ‘quality, authenticity and market differentiation’.

The new GI also enables distillers to be innovative, the EWG said, as producers have been using different types of oak barrels and experimenting with ageing techniques.

The GI stipulates that to be labelled an ‘English whisky’, it must be made from UK cereal grain and English water, distilled in England, distilled at an ABV of less than 94.8%, matured in England in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres for a minimum of three years, and the final whisky must have a minimum 40% ABV.

Morag Garden, CEO of EWG, said: “We are excited for English whisky to gain a geographical indication and this consultation phase with Defra is the next step towards achieving this.

“We are confident that English whisky will join the three other nations in the UK with a whisky GI and we are delighted that this growing whisky category is heading towards legal protection.

“This will support sales of English whisky both in the UK and in over 30 export markets globally.”

Members of the EWG include Adnams, Cooper King, Cotswolds Distillery, East London Liquor Co, Ellers Farm, Fielden, The Lakes Distillery and White Peak.

Daniel Szor, chair of EWG and founder of The Cotswolds Distillery, added: “It is vital for our booming English whisky industry to receive GI status, ensuring quality and innovation are at the forefront of all we do.

“We have also seen the boost that English whisky production has not only given the economy but also to tourism in England, and are confident that granting GI status will support the UK economy in the long term.”