EU: ECJ rules against dilution

The European Court of Justice has ruled that whisky drinks with an alcoholic content below 40 per cent cannot use the name ‘whisky’. The decision follows a complaint by the Scotch Whisky Association against a French company marketing a whisky product called ‘Gold River’, containing a mixture of whiskies from Scotland, Canada and the US, diluted with water and with an alcohol content of around 30 per cent. The ECJ ruled that ‘Gold River’ could be termed a “spirit” but not a “whisky”, although the name “whisky” could appear in the list of ingredients.