We must safeguard scotch

Not in the Spirit is a campaign to persuade the Scotch Whisky industry,the Scottish Whisky Association, Scotland Food and Drink and the Scottish Government that when a bottle of Scotch carries a Produce of Scotland label, then the contents of the bottle should indeed have been produced in Scotland.

Scotch is an iconic Scottish brand with global sales worth £4 billion to the Scottish economy.

We believe the provenance of scotch whisky must be beyond reproach in order to protect and grow this market.

Not in the Spirit calls upon the Scottish Government to take steps to ensure the provenance of scotch is protected by law.

We were appalled to hear that barley grown in East Anglia could be being shipped to Port Ellen to be distilled into some Islay Malts.

There is no other country in the world that can produce scotch whisky and the place where the crops are grown must be part of the brand.

You cannot reproduce the rich loamy Scottish soils anywhere else in the world, nor our unique climate with long daylight hours and sea mists that help to mature crops slowly and more evenly.

All over the world scotch whisky is enjoyed by those who believe the birthplace of their dram was in the arable fields of Scotland.

We cannot allow the reckless actions of a few rascals who think it is all right to import non-Scottish grains to put all this at risk.

We note that Keith Brown, the Scottish Government’s Economic Secretary has written to UK Ministers calling for UK law to protect the brand of scotch whisky post-Brexit.

Not in the Spirit supports Mr Brown’s statement: “It is vital we have robust legal protection of scotch whisky.

“We need to be sure that any future deals work for Scotland and are not threatening the livelihoods of our farmers and producers.”

Mr Brown and the Scottish Government must now insist that any new laws to protect scotch whisky must ensure that only Scottish cereals can be used. That “Product of Scotland” must mean what it says.

The UK Government have also just announced the end of area-based farm subsidies.

For far too long, hard-pressed Scottish farmers have relied on subsidies to survive.

As a result farmers have been selling barley and wheat to the likes of Diageo for less than the cost of production.

EU subsidies, intended to stay in the farmer’s pocket, are being handed over to global giants like Diageo. Fagin would have been proud. We must give credit to those distilleries committed to 100% Scotch cereals, such as Bruichladdich, and The Glenlivet.

We are also pleased that the North British Distillery in Edinburgh is moving from French maize to home grown wheat.

It is now up to the Scottish Government to ensure all distilleries use Scottish cereals by statute.

We were appalled to hear that barley grown in East Anglia could be being shipped to Port Ellen to be distilled into some Islay Malts.