Scotland's whisky makers are going to have another legal shot at Glenora Distillers International Ltd., the Cape Breton distillery that makes a single-malt tipple.

The Scotch Whisky Association is following up on an earlier threat to appeal a Canadian regulatory decision that allowed Glenora to call its whisky Glen Breton.

Glen Breton Rare whisky and packaging is seen in this Sept. 7, 2004, file photo.
(Andrew Vaughan/Canadian Press)

The Scottish distillers argued that the word "glen," based on a Celtic word meaning deep valley, should only be applied to whisky made in Scotland. The name Glen in the Canadian whisky might confuse drinkers into thinking they're sipping Scotch whisky, they claim.

Glenora, based in Glenville, Cape Breton, next to the community of Glenora Falls in a province named New Scotland (in Latin), said that the name incorporated the local names.

In January, the Trade-marks Opposition Board in Ottawa sided with Glenora, ruling that lots of international whisky makers use the word glen and Canadians aren't going to think that Glen Breton is Scottish simply because of its name.

It's that decision that the association is appealing, claiming that Glenora is "unfairly trading on Scotch whisky's international reputation."

The association's website says there are strict legal rules governing the use of the term Scotch Whisky, necessary to protect Scottish producers.