Post by paul on Sept 3, 2006 0:28:03 GMT
FOR more than 250 years the Mackinnon family has jealously guarded the secret recipe of the liqueur that fortified Prince Charles Edward Stuart on the Isle of Skye in 1746.
But soon everyone could finally discover what goes into Drambuie, because the ingredients will be printed on the side of every bottle.
Drambuie Ltd last night conceded that it could be among the most significant victims of a European Union proposal - backed by British ministers - to lift an exemption for alcohol companies to avoid labelling the ingredients in their drinks.
Hundreds of brewers, distillers and wine-makers across Europe can expect to face demands to print the full contents on all their bottles, cans and barrels from next year.
Along with the expected ingredients, including barley, hops and yeast, they will have to disclose whether they use preservatives such as sulphur dioxide, the antioxidant potassium metabisulphite, or even animal albumin used to stop wines becoming cloudy.
The labels on Britain's favourite beers will let discerning drinkers know whether their favourite tipple contains added chemicals to give a better colour or flavour, improve the "head" or increase its shelf life.
A series of additives have been blamed for increasing the hazards faced by drinkers, exposing them from everything from a higher risk of a morning-after headache to allergic reactions and even asthma.
The move to list ingredients is designed to improve consumers' knowledge of exactly what goes into their glasses, and their "nutritional value".
But it is in Scotland, where distillers have made the secrecy of their whisky recipes an enduring tradition, that the new regime is most feared.
And the Mackinnon family, which has been producing Drambuie, the liqueur made from malt whisky, heather honey and a secret blend of herbs and spices for more than 250 years, may have to lift the veil on its confidential blend.
"Clearly, if the government states that everyone has to disclose absolutely everything, then we'd be bound by that law and we'd have to reveal what goes into our secret blend. We would be affected by this, although we wouldn't be alone," said Drambuie production director Steve Black.
But the company hopes it can still keep some of its secret safe. "If the law only asks for a list of ingredients and not how much or how they are put together, then that would not mean disclosing the recipe," Black added.
The drinks industry has traditionally been exempt from the tight rules that require food manufacturers to list all their ingredients, amounts and their nutritional values on all their products. Alcohol companies have merely had to fall in line with rules requiring them to give information on the alcohol content of their drinks and their contact addresses.
Consumer groups have for several years complained that the special dispensation prevented drinkers from knowing all about the chemicals and other additives routinely used by drinks manufacturers.
The European Commission is reviewing the alcohol-labelling regime. Previous attempts to bring the drinks industry into line have been scuppered by opposition from wine-producers in southern Europe.
But consumer affairs minister Caroline Flint said the UK government was backing stricter demands on the drinks trade.
Flint said: "The UK has already indicated to the European Commission that it supports the principle of ingredient listing for all alcoholic drinks, whilst recognising that any proposal for detailed application will need to be fully considered in public consultation with stakeholders."
A spokesman for the Scotch Whisky Association said the trade would wholeheartedly support the changes.
"We have always supported these proposals in the past," an association spokesman said. "Scotch whisky is very tightly defined in law and it can only be made from simple, natural raw materials of barley, water and yeast."
The decision was last night welcomed by consumers and groups supporting the "natural" production of beers, wines and spirits.
Jonathan Main, of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said the move would enable drinkers to make informed choices about what they allow into their bodies.
A Camra opinion poll earlier this summer found the public was overwhelmingly in favour of the suggestion that drinks manufacturers should be forced to come clean about everything they put into their products.
"We have been urging the government and the EU to make these changes for a long time," Main said. "They will benefit consumers by increasing awareness and allowing them to make informed choices about what they buy."
A European working party two years ago confirmed that: "Labelling of ingredients on alcoholic beverages should be in line with the general labelling rules for food stuff."
But the proposed changes would still leave 24 EU member states far behind Germany, which has had a "purity law" governing the contents of its beers for almost 500 years. The Reinheitsgebot decrees that beers can only be produced using the traditional ingredients of water, hops, yeast and malted barley or wheat.
A spokeswoman for the Food Standards Agency, which helped put together the government's contribution to the EU blueprint, said the labelling requirements would need to be kept "simple and proportionate".
This article: heritage.scotsman.com/news.cfm?id=1300202006
Last updated: 02-Sep-06 00:07 BST
But soon everyone could finally discover what goes into Drambuie, because the ingredients will be printed on the side of every bottle.
Drambuie Ltd last night conceded that it could be among the most significant victims of a European Union proposal - backed by British ministers - to lift an exemption for alcohol companies to avoid labelling the ingredients in their drinks.
Hundreds of brewers, distillers and wine-makers across Europe can expect to face demands to print the full contents on all their bottles, cans and barrels from next year.
Along with the expected ingredients, including barley, hops and yeast, they will have to disclose whether they use preservatives such as sulphur dioxide, the antioxidant potassium metabisulphite, or even animal albumin used to stop wines becoming cloudy.
The labels on Britain's favourite beers will let discerning drinkers know whether their favourite tipple contains added chemicals to give a better colour or flavour, improve the "head" or increase its shelf life.
A series of additives have been blamed for increasing the hazards faced by drinkers, exposing them from everything from a higher risk of a morning-after headache to allergic reactions and even asthma.
The move to list ingredients is designed to improve consumers' knowledge of exactly what goes into their glasses, and their "nutritional value".
But it is in Scotland, where distillers have made the secrecy of their whisky recipes an enduring tradition, that the new regime is most feared.
And the Mackinnon family, which has been producing Drambuie, the liqueur made from malt whisky, heather honey and a secret blend of herbs and spices for more than 250 years, may have to lift the veil on its confidential blend.
"Clearly, if the government states that everyone has to disclose absolutely everything, then we'd be bound by that law and we'd have to reveal what goes into our secret blend. We would be affected by this, although we wouldn't be alone," said Drambuie production director Steve Black.
But the company hopes it can still keep some of its secret safe. "If the law only asks for a list of ingredients and not how much or how they are put together, then that would not mean disclosing the recipe," Black added.
The drinks industry has traditionally been exempt from the tight rules that require food manufacturers to list all their ingredients, amounts and their nutritional values on all their products. Alcohol companies have merely had to fall in line with rules requiring them to give information on the alcohol content of their drinks and their contact addresses.
Consumer groups have for several years complained that the special dispensation prevented drinkers from knowing all about the chemicals and other additives routinely used by drinks manufacturers.
The European Commission is reviewing the alcohol-labelling regime. Previous attempts to bring the drinks industry into line have been scuppered by opposition from wine-producers in southern Europe.
But consumer affairs minister Caroline Flint said the UK government was backing stricter demands on the drinks trade.
Flint said: "The UK has already indicated to the European Commission that it supports the principle of ingredient listing for all alcoholic drinks, whilst recognising that any proposal for detailed application will need to be fully considered in public consultation with stakeholders."
A spokesman for the Scotch Whisky Association said the trade would wholeheartedly support the changes.
"We have always supported these proposals in the past," an association spokesman said. "Scotch whisky is very tightly defined in law and it can only be made from simple, natural raw materials of barley, water and yeast."
The decision was last night welcomed by consumers and groups supporting the "natural" production of beers, wines and spirits.
Jonathan Main, of the Campaign for Real Ale (Camra), said the move would enable drinkers to make informed choices about what they allow into their bodies.
A Camra opinion poll earlier this summer found the public was overwhelmingly in favour of the suggestion that drinks manufacturers should be forced to come clean about everything they put into their products.
"We have been urging the government and the EU to make these changes for a long time," Main said. "They will benefit consumers by increasing awareness and allowing them to make informed choices about what they buy."
A European working party two years ago confirmed that: "Labelling of ingredients on alcoholic beverages should be in line with the general labelling rules for food stuff."
But the proposed changes would still leave 24 EU member states far behind Germany, which has had a "purity law" governing the contents of its beers for almost 500 years. The Reinheitsgebot decrees that beers can only be produced using the traditional ingredients of water, hops, yeast and malted barley or wheat.
A spokeswoman for the Food Standards Agency, which helped put together the government's contribution to the EU blueprint, said the labelling requirements would need to be kept "simple and proportionate".
This article: heritage.scotsman.com/news.cfm?id=1300202006
Last updated: 02-Sep-06 00:07 BST