The Scotch Whisky Association was founded in 1912.
The organization was created to represent the interests of Scotland’s whisky industry. It has since become a major voice for Scotch whisky producers in discussions about regulation, trade, geographical protection, and international market access.
The association is not a distillery and does not make a particular whisky brand. Instead, it represents producers and works to protect the reputation and legal identity of Scotch whisky. Its work has included campaigning against imitation products and supporting rules governing how Scotch may be produced, matured, labelled, and sold.
The founding date should not be confused with important dates in Scotch regulation. The Scotch Whisky Act 1988 is a later piece of legislation, while the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 provide detailed modern rules. Scotch whisky’s wider history is much older, but the association itself dates from 1912.