Proposals to permit whisky makers in England to use the term "single malt" have led to concern among Scottish distilleries and politicians.
Under plans being put forward by the UK government, "single malt English whisky" could be used for whisky made by an English single distillery.
But the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) said the move would be "very damaging" for the reputation of single malt whisky from the UK.
The association claims the method used in England would be simpler than the process which is used in Scotland.
For Scotch whisky, the malted barley is turned into mash, which is then fermented and distilled at one site.
The English proposal would strip away the first two of those three elements, removing the connection to place that single malt Scotch whisky has.
Scotch exports were worth £5.4 billion last year, according to the latest figures by the association.
A spokesperson for the SWA said the UK government's proposals was "entirely inconsistent with the reputation of single malt whisky".
“It would be very damaging for the reputation of single malt whisky from the UK, and by extension single malt Scotch whisky," they added.
“We will be responding formally to the Defra consultation to robustly defend against any devaluation of the Single Malt category.”
Meanwhile, First Minister John Swinney told Holyrood that the Scottish government would "make all necessary representations on this issue to protect the identity and the character of Scotch whisky".
A Defra spokesperson confirmed that no decisions had yet been made and the consultation process was still ongoing.
A closing date for responses to the proposals has been set for 20 May.
