Posted: November 30 2009

The Department of Agriculture and the Irish Spirits Association (ISA) are working together to produce the necessary technical files for submission to the EC in order to secure a Geographical Indicator (GI) for Irish whiskies and Cream Liqueurs.

Part of the European Spirits Regulation (110/2008), introduced last year to ensure the highest standards of spirit production in the EU, dictates that certain categories of spirits can only be made in specific locations (eg cognac in Cognac, scotch in Scotland).

This means that use of a GI to ensure that ‘Irish Whiskey’ or ‘Irish Cream Liqueur’ can only be used on products if these have been produced on the island of Ireland using quality ingredients and defined production techniques.