Yorkshire's first whisky distillery welcomes English Whisky GI news

The team at Yorkshire's first single malt whisky distillery is celebrating the news that the English Whisky Guild's application for geographical indication (GI) status has reached the consultation stage.

"GI statusprotects the quality, integrity and production methods of a particular product or process.English GI for single malt whisky is all about quality and maintaining the high standards set by the great whisky distilleries in Scotland and around the world," said David Thompson, MD and founding partner of Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery.

"Congratulations to Morag Garden and the team at the English Whisky Guild for their work on this important GI application that will establish a legal definition of English whisky in line with the three other UK nations. The English whisky industry is worth £1 billion and makes a valuable contribution to both the economy and tourism, so the protection afforded by GI status will be very welcome."  

Morag Garden, CEO of the English Whisky Guild, said: "We are excited for English whisky to gain a geographical indication and this consultation phase with Defra is the next step towards achieving this.

"We are confident that English whisky will join the three other nations in the UK with a whisky GI and we are delighted that this growing whisky category is heading towards legal protection.

"This will support sales of English whisky both in the UK and in over 30 export markets globally."

The GI has been established as demand for English whisky continues to grow, with more than 30 new whisky distilleries opening in the country in the last three years. The application now goes through a three-month public consultation period with Defra (UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) where interested parties can submit a response to oppose or provide feedback to the application.

Spirit of Yorkshire is a founding member of the English Whisky Guild, and its co-founder, Tom Mellor, is the organisation's vice chair.

Spirit of Yorkshire is one of five whisky distilleries in the Yorkshire and the Humber region. It isone of only a handful of distilleries that grows 100% of its regeneratively farmed barley used to produce its whisky.

The English Whisky Guild was formed in 2022. Its vision is for English whisky to be recognised globally as a respected choice for whisky drinkers. The volume of spirit produced by English distilleries was forecasted to grow 189% from 2019-2024. 

Ends

Photo:David Thompson, Spirit of Yorkshire MD David Thompson from Spirit of Yorkshire

For more information or to arrange an interview withDavid Thompson,please contact Tracey Baty at three60 marketing on:

Direct line:01430 871360

Mobile:07971 961574

Email:traceybaty@three60marketing.co.uk

Notes to editors

1.      For more information about Spirit of Yorkshire, please visithttps://www.spiritofyorkshire.com/

2.      For more information about the EWG, please visithttps://www.englishwhiskyguild.com/

3.      A geographical indication (GI) is a name or sign used to identify a product that has a specific geographical origin. GIs are intellectual property rights that protect a product's name and reputation and help consumers distinguish quality products, producers market their products and help combat counterfeited products.