An agreement aimed to increase the protection of Scotch whisky
The Scotch Whisky Association has signed an agreement with the Spanish Civil Guard which aims to strengthen the protection of Scotch whisky against illegal selling and marketing practices in Spain. This is the first such agreement of an organisation representing the interests of Scotch whisky producers with national law enforcement agencies other than the United Kingdom.
The Civil Guard is the authority dealing with tax and customs matters in Spain. Among other things, the agreement stated that all suspicious whisky samples intercepted in Spain by the Guard will be sent to Scotland for testing by the Scotch Whisky Research Institute. Another element of the contract was the organisation of training sessions by the SWA legal team for members of the Spanish service.
The signing of the agreement was commented on by Alan Park, Director of Legal Affairs at SWA: ‘The Spanish Civil Guard’s cooperation with the SWA has been extremely valuable in helping us to tackle the sale of products over the years that seek to take unfair advantage of Scotch whisky’s reputation. We are delighted to formalise our working relationship with an enforcement authority outside the UK, in the first formal national agreement of its kind.’
Spain is the fifth largest Scotch whisky export market in the world by volume, with exports worth over £180 million last year. It is also one of the three largest export markets of Scotch whisky in Europe, both in terms of value and volume.
Source: The Spirits Business
