A Scottish MSP has urged the UK government to "come clean" on its plans to allow an English single malt application to be given the green light.
Douglas Ross, Highlands and Islands MSP, warned that the move would be "catastrophic" for the reputation of the Scotch whisky industry.
Under plans being put forward by the Labour government, "single malt English whisky" could be used for whisky made by an English single distillery.
But the Scotch Whisky Association has said that the move would be "very damaging" for the reputation of single malt whisky from the UK.
Mr Ross raised these concerns during a recent debate in Holyrood, where he highlighted a letter he had received from Defra Food Security Minister Daniel Zeichner, who said the move remained a possibility.
That is despite fellow Labour minister Darren Jones saying in the Commons that the UK government would not be watering down the definition of single malt whisky.
However, in the letter Mr Ross received last week, Mr Zeichner said that Defra was satisfied the English whisky guild's application for geographical indicator met all the relevant requirements.
Labour Highlands and Islands MSP Rhoda Grant intervened to dismiss what Mr Zeichner had said in his letter, prompting Mr Ross to say that Scottish Labour MSPs "should not be pretending everything is fine", and that they should be standing up for the Scotch whisky industry.
Mr Ross went on to say that the industry was "so important" for Moray and across the Highlands, and that Labour must rule out any such move which would be “catastrophic” for single malt Scotch Whisky.
Following the debate in Holyrood, the Scottish Conservative MSP called on the Labour government to "come clean" about the application by English whisky distillers.
He said: "One Labour minister might have said it had been ditched in the Commons, but another has left the door well and truly open in response to the concerns I raised with him.
“It is simply wasn’t good enough that Scottish Labour MSPs turned up to this debate and pretended everything was fine.
"They cannot arrogantly dismiss it given the importance of Scotch whisky to Moray, the Highlands and the Scottish economy."
The Scotch Whisky 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.
Mr Ross said that, if given the green light, this would be "catastrophic" for the reputation of the Scotch whisky industry.
Any plans to water down the definition of single malt would "severely undermine the iconic products produced in Moray and elsewhere".
Mr Ross concluded: “I can only reach the conclusion following the letter from Daniel Zeichner that these plans are still on the table, given he said it aligns with relevant UK laws.
“The industry needs Labour to confirm once and for all that this application will be ruled out and it is time Scottish Labour MSPs joined me in standing up for our whisky industry.”
