commerce
Allocation
No legal definition
The volume of a scarce release apportioned by a producer to a market, distributor or retailer — and by extension the retail rationing that follows.
Not a legal term
No whisky regulation in Scotland, Ireland, the United States, the EU or Japan defines this. It is a trade or marketing term, so it is only actionable if its use is actively misleading.
Worth knowing
A commercial decision, not a statement of production volume: a widely allocated release can be very large. Where allocation is tied to buying other products it can raise competition-law issues, but 'allocated' itself carries no regulatory meaning.
Related terms
Last reviewed 2026-07-30 · All glossary terms