Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Mr. Michael Creed TD recently joined forces with the Irish Whiskey Association to launch the 'Protect Irish Whiskey' campaign which aims to to highlight and fight the rising number of products claiming to be Irish whiskey that are being sold internationally.
The campaign is asking Irish whiskey producers and distributors to highlight any potentially misleading products to the Association so that it can take action.
There are several ways in which a whiskey product can mislead customers to believing it is of Irish origin such as: The use of names or devices associated with Ireland, like shamrocks or Irish surnames; If a local ‘whisky’ were to be produced in another country containing some Irish Whiskey and passed off as Irish Whiskey; The use of descriptions such as “Irish Type Whiskey” or Irish Style Whiskey, are forbidden under Irish Whiskey’s Geographical Indication protection status; Misleading packaging, point of sale material and advertising; Misleading age claims, and displaying a product amongst Irish Whiskey.
Speaking at the launch Minister Creed said: “Food Wise 2025, Ireland’s Local Roots, Global Reach growth strategy, has highlighted the growth opportunities for Irish Whiskey and commits to continuing to support, protect and promote Ireland’s Geographical Indications. So today’s launch is timely.
"My Department works closely with the Irish Whiskey Association on protecting and promoting Irish Whiskey. With exports of €410m expected to double by 2020, the Irish Whiskey reputation is important to the industry and the Irish economy," he continued.
Bernard Walsh, Chairman of the Irish Whiskey Association and founder of Walsh Whiskey Distillery said: "While we have achieved Geographical Indication status for Irish Whiskey, which is significant in terms of protecting the integrity of category, we must not rest on our laurels.
"As Irish Whiskey continues to perform well, we are likely to be challenged considerably more in terms of misleading products, which is why this enforcement campaign is important. We very much welcome the Minister for Agriculture and the Departments support in ensuring the category reaches its full potential,” he concluded.
© 2016 - Checkout Magazine by Niall Swan
