Scotch Whisky Act 1988

Scotch Whisky Act 1988
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act to make provision as to the definition of Scotch whisky and as to the production and sale of whisky; and for connected purposes.
Citation1988 c. 22
Territorial extent England and Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland (section 4 only)
Dates
Royal assent28 June 1988
Commencement28 June 1988 (sections 4 and 5)
30 April 1990 (sections 1 to 3)
Repealed23 November 2009
Other legislation
Repealed byScotch Whisky Regulations 2009
Status: Repealed
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Scotch Whisky Act 1988 was an Act to the Parliament of the United Kingdom, passed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II on 28 June 1988, with the long title "An Act to make provision as to the definition of Scotch whisky and as to the production and sale of whisky; and for connected purposes.".[1]

The act first set out a definition for Scotch whisky – "whisky (distilled and matured in Scotland) as conforms to a definition of Scotch whisky contained in an order made under this subsection by the Ministers".[2]

It also made it illegal to sell whisky as "Scotch whisky" if it does not conform to the definitions laid out in the Act, or sell whisky with an alcoholic strength of more than 94.8%.

The Act was repealed in its entirety by the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 which came into effect on 23 November 2009.

  1. ^ "Scotch Whisky Act 1988" (PDF). legislation.gov.uk. 28 June 1988. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
  2. ^ Uk Govt. (28 June 1988). "Statute Law UK". Crown Copyright. Retrieved 20 November 2008.