The Irish Whiskey Association has reportedly made a number of complaints to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland over the mislabelling of whiskey products.
According to the Irish Times, Ibec group said a number of whiskey makers in the country have bought 'new-make whiskey' from other distilleries.
Misleading Labelling
The companies then age the product in oak barrels and sell them on under their own label. One such company is St Patrick’s Distillery in Douglas, Co Cork, which despite including distillery in its company name, it openly admits that it is anything but.
It continues to turn out whiskey under the “St Patrick’s Distillery” label.
The IWA said that there is no place in the industry for misleading labelling and marketing, particularly where it refers to a non-existent distillery.
The IWA explained that the growth of Irish whiskey has come from the premiumisation of the spirit, where people are willing to pay a high price once they know who made the product, where, and how.
Protecting Standards
The IWA has kept itself busy this year protecting Irish Whiskey.
The group saw Irish Whiskey’s status as a Geographical Indication (GI) officially approved by the European Commission.
This means that the provenance of the spirit will have to be proven to ensure its authenticity - as it is with Champagne.
It also registered Irish whiskey as a certification mark in South Africa, ensuring its authenticity over there.
“Legal protection in such an important market forms the solid foundation on which the industry’s success is built,” the IWA said at the time.
“This will ensure Irish whiskey maximises its potential and maintains its growth trajectory.”
© 2019 Checkout – your source for the latest Irish retail news. Article by Aidan O’Sullivan. Click sign-up to subscribe to Checkout.
