Glen Breton
Rankin MacDonald

Uisge beatha - The water of life

MacLean, president of Glenora Distillery, told The Oran this week that the court rejected the objections put forward by the Scotch Whisky Association and upheld the company’s registration of Glen Breton as the trademark of its single malt whisky.

The battle of the “Glen” has been going on for several years now. Glenora won the first round, lost the second and won the latest federal decision.

They (Scotch Whisky Association) can appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada, but we hope they accept this latest decision of the Federal Court,” he said. “We’d like to have a positive working relationship with them, but if we have to we’ll follow it to the Supreme Court.”

It was Robbie Burns weekend when the decision came down, and maybe, just maybe the Scottish bard is behind the single malt whisky he loved, even when it comes from a distant glen.

Glen Breton is Canada’s only single malt whisky.

The court rejected the premise that the name Glen Breton is deceptive and misleading, suggesting that the Inverness County whisky is made in Scotland.

The battle of the Glen began nine years ago and has cost the Glenora Distillery over $100,000 to fight.

“We believed that this was the correct legal interpretation all along,” MacLean said.

He had high praise for their lawyer, David Copp, an expert in intellectual property law, who has done “a fantastic job for us.”

The Scotch Whisky Association has 60 days to appeal the Federal Court’s decision to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court would decide to hear the case or not and has six months to make its decision known.

A Supreme Court trial would likely last two years.

“We’re confident about our position, and David Copp will guide us through,” he added.

MacLean said they want to concentrate on expanding their markets now and to invest their money into the product rather than legal bills.

They want to increase production and expand into the Asian market.

Glen Breton sells for $80 a bottle and is most popular in Canada and Europe.

The Glenora Distillery was the brainchild of the late Bruce Jardine and is now one of the finest facilities of its kind anywhere.