Scotcha! Canadian distillery firm faces lawsuit
WHISKY experts are suing a Canadian distillery for using the word “Scotch” on its products.
The Scottish Whisky Association (SWA) and Glasgow based Whyte and Mackay filed a lawsuit against the MacMhaolOnfhaidh (Macaloney) distillery for using the term.
They slammed the branding saying it “misleads” customers into believing the products had been made in Scotland.
Scotch whisky is protected by geographical indication, embedded in trademark laws across the globe.
Scotch can only be made from the raw materials of water, cereals and yeast and must be matured in Scotland for at least three years in oak casks.
SWA and Whyte and Mackay are not seeking damages from Macaloney Distillers or objecting to the distilling and bottling of whisky on their premises.
But they want the term Scotch, as well as other Scottish names, to be removed from branding and packaging used by the company.
The award-winning Canadian distiller was set up by Scottish expat Graeme Macaloney, who has been producing whisky there since 2016.
It markets a range under the branding Macaloney’s Caledonian with its staple Glenloy Island single malt selling for £90.
The SWA is understood to have raised its concerns in January last year.
It said: “We never take legal proceedings lightly.
“This is vital to protecting Scotland’s national drink and to ensuring that consumers across the world are clear about whether or not they are buying whisky produced in Scotland.”
£16.50, £20, £32,