Shard

Seems a bit mean spirited of the Scotch Whisky Association to be clamping down on this BC business. Anyone tried it?

https://globalnews.ca/video/7715218/vancouver-island-distillery-being-sued-by-scotlands-scotch-protector-association

http://globalnews.ca/video/7715218/v...or-association

scrubbedexpat091

I get companies and organizations need to defend trademarks, but seems this place consulted with this organization and it was only when they started winning awards that this organization had an issue with it?

I guess a judge will have to sort it all out.

Shard

Yeah that seems to be the case. It doesn't seem that the maker is trying to hide its Canadian origin. I suppose it could all be cleared up by putting a maple leaf somewhere on the packaging !

Siouxie

it's not made in Scotland nor the Scottish isles and should not be called Scotch nor implied that it is made there ... no different to other food and drink items that are protected, such as Caerphilly or Wensleydale Cheese.. or the many others...

scrubbedexpat091

Shard

As far as I know they aren't calling it "Scotch" and it has a map of Vancouver Island on the package. Objecting to "Caledonia" is a bit of a stretch, I don't think that many non-Scot Brits, let alone Canadians associate the word with Scotland.

Paul_Shepherd

A Canadian friend of mine owns a distillery, he has made a "Scotch like whiskey" same ingredients, but he can't mention the word Scotch... he said the rules were very clear, just like white sparkling wine cant be called Champagne as its not made in Chamnpagne.... and to be fair I have found a lot of white sparkling wines to be as good or superior to Champagne.... its snobbery to a certain degree I guess, but also protectionism/copywright for the buisness's that are based in Scotland and Champagne.

My friends "Scotch" is real good too!

Shard

I don't think it's snobbery, I think names like Scotch, Champagne, Parmigannio have a right to be protected, it's kind of intellectual property. But it's definitely fair to say that there are some excellent sparkinling white wines out there, and whiskies ! What's your friend's distillery/whisky?

caretaker

Suntory whiskey in Japan isn't called Scotch, but everyone knows. The label on Macalone's booze says where it comes from, and the fact that Scottish distillers didn't make a fuss until it started winning awards speaks volumes. Their indignation is now giving the Vancouver Island business a windfall in free advertising.

Pizzawheel

That EU-Canada trade deal included Canada applying the "protected" status to food and drink, which could be another reason this dispute seems late- a few years ago there might not have been much basis for a challenge.

What this will do to food in our local grocers (isn't salami now protected?) Is anyone's guess. Plus brexit but I think the UK replicated the Canada deal pretty early on.

JamesM

This behaviour doesn't surprise me. You only have to watch Braveheart for the umpteenth time to see the Scots ****ing over the Scots before the English outsmart them.

That being said during the pandemic I've fostered a love for Bourbon and have started to try more Canadian Rye Whiskies.

Canadian's typically don't make anything well but the Rye Whiskies are quite good.

Bourbon is amazing- I wish we had a better selection the LCBO.

Pizzawheel

He's turned!!!

Bourbon is quite interesting, have you tried the Elijah Craig? Quite a different flavour to scotch. And no cheaper.

I found an excellent 100% Rye from Alberta, tall skinny bottle, seemed to be the best of the lot. Guess you know Canadian rye has no minimum % rye content so read the label!

caretaker

I don't generally buy rye, but once in awhile Wiser's will come up with a small batch commemorative bottle; not the $80 Small Batch but a limited edition they rattle out for just $3 - $4 more than Wiser's Deluxe (last time I had any), and aged a couple of years longer. They've done it with grain elevator shaped bottles for a prairie theme, done it for Sask Roughriders, and one or two others I've bought into. Definitely a cut above the regular. I took an elevator one with the town name Moose Jaw to my friend in Vancouver (he's from the Jaw). He usually drinks Jameson's and they had this elevator on the shelf for maybe 6 - 7 years, then late one night my phone rang and it was him, pissed as a rat saying he and the wife had just drained the elevator and it was fantastic! I think I told him if it wasn't empty it was worth hundreds on ebay.
https://www.icollector.com/WHISKY-BO...APED_i34335301

JGK

I thought that if it was a true Scotch (made in Scotland) it was a Whisky. If it was from outside Scotland it was a Whiskey.

I remember back in the day one of the Japanese brewing companies produced a scotch which the described as "Made from the Finest Scottish Grapes". Didn't last long

caretaker

According to this guy..

• Whisky (no e) refers to Scottish, Canadian, or Japanese grain spirits.
• Whiskey (with an e) refers to grain spirits distilled in Ireland and the United States.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/whisky-vs-whiskey/
https://www.thekitchn.com/whiskey-vs...-the-di-100476