‘Emblem of quality': new standards introduced for UK whisky industry
The UK's national standards body, the British Standards Institution (BSI), has published the first ever best practice guidelines for Welsh, English, Irish and Scottish whisky production.
The standards have been developed by experts from across the British Isles' whisky industries, which were brought together by the BSI.
Martin Bell, deputy director for trade at the Scotch Whisky Association which contributed to the guidelines, said they will "underline the high quality of Scotch and other UK whiskies" and will continue to help them become "a recognisable emblem of quality".
The new guidelines are aimed at distillers wanting to produce a high-quality product to sell domestically and globally and help current and emerging whisky brands demonstrate quality and authenticity in the production processes and supply chain.
It includes details on elements from colour to packaging, aroma, and taste. For example, it advises the desired colour of the whisky to be caramel but states it can range from a pale yellow/gold to deep amber/mahogany.
The guidelines advise that whisky must be matured for at least three years in wooden casks and cannot be sweetened or contain any additives.
It sets the minimum alcoholic strength by volume as 40% and says every distillation should be carried out at less than 94.8% volume "so that the distillate has an aroma and taste derived from the raw materials used".
There are also guidelines around packaging, including advice that, although whisky is not produced from animal products, the use of animal products in the production of other alcoholic beverages stored in the cask prior to the whisky should be considered when it comes to product labelling.
Speaking to The Caterer, commercial director at Penderyn whisky distillery in Wales, Giancarlo Bianchi, said the new guideline is an "invaluable benchmark" for the production of British and Irish whiskies.
Bianchi, who was part of the BSI committee which drafted the standards, said they demonstrate the progress which Welsh and English whiskies have made against their more established and longer standing Scottish and Irish counterparts.
Scott Steedman, director of standards at the BSI, said: "The new standard for whisky effectively bottles the historic tradition of whisky distilling for the benefit of consumers and the industry.
"We recognize that distillers take great pride in their craft and the unique characteristics that define a quality whisky, and we are delighted to have worked with whisky experts from across the UK and Ireland to produce a consensus standard on what good looks like for this world-renowned product."
He added that he hopes the standards will create "a benchmark for quality" that will add value to the distillers who use it and increase the confidence of consumers.
The new standards will be managed by a dedicated committee in the BSI.
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