Judge rules: Glen is Scottish, and you must leave it alone
After a nine-year legal battle, the European Court has ruled in Scotland’s favor and sent a German whisky distillery home with its tail between its legs. The company sold whisky called Glen Buchenbach, and the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) was not happy about it. Because you don’t mess with Glen…
The Waldhorn distillery named its whisky after the German Buchenbach Valley. According to them, that ‘tal’—meaning valley—was a perfectly good marketing angle to translate for their whisky, but according to the SWA, it’s not that simple.
Our own valley first
At least, not if you want to use the Gaelic word ‘glen’, which means ‘valley’ in this Celtic language of Scotland. According to the SWA, the Germans could only have intended to evoke an association with Scottish whisky with their product, while that right should be reserved for genuine Scottish whiskies.
Fighting over the G-word
The Germans argued that nowhere else on the label did they claim that this was Scottish whisky, but after nine years of ongoing legal proceedings, the European Court has decided that Waldhorn must come up with a different name—and that the G-word is off-limits.
Protecting the image
A spokesperson and Waldhorn’s lawyers also argued that American, Australian and Canadian whisky makers use the word ‘glen’ in the names of their single malts, but the SWA was able to demonstrate that none of those whiskies are sold within the EU. According to the SWA, all ‘glen’ whiskies sold here come from Scotland without exception, and that is essential to protecting the quality image of Scotland’s national drink and preventing consumers from being misled.
Cheers
Feeling thirsty after this story? We get it. And whether you drink Scottish whisky neat or with an ice cube, or only use it as the base in a strong whisky sour; we’d be happy to raise a glass with you!
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Source: Food and Wine
