By Christopher Mackie
LAST month, a decision by the Italian supreme court drew to a close a whisky dispute that had been running long enough to mature a bottle of finest single malt.
The judges' decision meant an Italian businessman was finally prevented from selling alcohol bearing names such as "MacQueen" and "Clan 55" as Scotch whisky.
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"We were very fortunate in that, as long ago as the 1950s, the various companies decidedthe number-one objective of the SWA was to protect Scotch whisky from imitations," says Mr Barclay. "The reason being, what we don't want is Scotch whisky being a type of whisky that can be produced anywhere."
He cites the example of Cheddar cheese, which, after originating in a very specific area of Somerset, is now produced - to varying degrees of quality - all across the globe.
He continues: "We are trying to ensure that whenever someone buys a bottle of Scotch whisky, it is from Scotland, otherwise a member of ours has lost a sale.
"If it isn't, not only has one sale been lost, if the consumer drinks it and it's absolutely filthy, he's going to say, 'I'm not buying that Scotch whisky again'. Reputation is quickly damaged."
The dilligence of the SWA in ensuring that we never end up with industrial alcohol with whisky flavouring is of great comfort to me.
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