Scotch Whisky Trademark Renewed In China

A Toast to Securing the Scotch

When asked what is made in Scotland?  The general response 9 out of 10 times would be, Scotch whisky – Scotland’s prime indigenous product.  With numerous international trade agreements and a competitive landscape, this whisky has been able to travel far. To legally guard the brand from spirit copies for a further decade, the ‘Scotch Whisky’ trademark and its Chinese translation have been successfully renewed until 2028 in China by SWA (The Scotch Whisky Association). This is a huge step in safeguarding this valuable, much sought spirit, protecting the spirit sales, and the future growth of the industry.

This was one of the key announcements made by SWA chief executive, Karen Betts as she joined British Prime Minister Theresa May during her three-day trade visit to China. According to the SWA, the Far East is a thriving market for the Scotch brand where it has shown a robust performance. With 25 bottles of Scotch being exported to China every minute, Scotch whisky sales account for their optimum, annual export earnings, worth £4 billion in the UK.

The rising demand in mature markets like China reflects the surge in the Scotch whisky exports globally. With the growing markets, counterfeit expressions are surging too. This increasingly justifies to protect the intellectual property right of Scotch. And with this trademark agreement, originally made in 2008 and now extended until 2028 an important step has been taken by the SWA with the British Embassy and Chinese authorities to defend the industry and UK trade from the ‘fake Scotch’.

China represents an influential, and a valuable market for Scotch. Despite the ongoing challenges, the Chinese government has recognised Scotch whisky as a Scottish product, taking protection and fraud seriously. This has instilled confidence in the Scotch whisky producers. Scotch has thoroughly cemented its place in the world whisky stage and now rightfully has earned its top spot in China too.