Water of Life: Single Cask Raises Funds to Tackle Climate Crisis

• Glengoyne commemorates 10th anniversary of its wetlands ecosystem with special release

• Sales will support work of Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust - which aims to create 100,000 hectares of healthy wetlands across the UK

• Launch coincides with release of climate change impact study commissioned by the distillery, revealing impact on Scotch whisky production over the next 50-100 years

Glengoyne Single Malt Scotch Whisky is commemorating the 10 year anniversary of its wetlands with a limited edition 10-year-old release - The Wetlands Single Cask.

Proceeds will go towards supporting the work of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) who have been partners with Glengoyne throughout their sustainability journey. The WWT, and its Blue Recovery project, aims to create 100,000 hectares of healthy wetlands across the UK.

Wetlands can help drastically slow down climate change, storing twice as much carbon as all the world’s rainforests combined – but they too are under considerable threat from climate change.

Barbara Turing, Brand Manager at Glengoyne Highland Single Malt, said: “The threat of climate change is very real, and we all have a role to play in combatting its effects. We’ve worked with the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust for ten years, and the partnership has been at the heart of our sustainability work ever since.

“With the release of the Wetlands Single Cask, we’re delighted to be able to donate proceeds from each bottle sold to support the valuable work that WWT does.”

Distilled in the same year the wetlands were created, the 2011 European Oak Sherry Hogshead Single Cask will output a limited run of 300 bottles.

On the nose, the whisky delivers warming dark brown sugar and treacle, followed by warm spice and apple. The indulgent palate brings the deep, rich flavour of toffee apples with dried fruits, liquorice, and cloves. To finish, mellow oak and spice.

Bottles will be available to purchase via the Glengoyne Website - £120 / 70cl / 59.1% ABV.

COP26 Climate Change Impact study

The Wetlands Single Cask release coincides with the release of a report commissioned by Glengoyne ahead of COP26, highlighting the pressing need for all industries and individuals to come together to combat climate change.

The Single Malt Whisky enlisted climate experts at University College London to look at the potentially devastating effects of climate change on the Scotch industry in the next 50-100 years, and the researchers found that impending heat and drought stress caused by global warming could drastically impact the volume and quality of spring barley in Scotland.

800,000 tonnes of spring barley are required annually in Scotch Whisky production and a reduction in yield, as seen in 2018, could cost the industry up to £27million a year.

With a decline in summer rainfall of up to 18% and a 2.0˚C annual rise in temperature by 20801, they also found that summer-droughts, which halted production at many distilleries across Islay, Perthshire, and Speyside in 2018, would likely occur with much greater frequency going forward2.

The study suggested climate change in the next 50-100 years could also threaten to alter the flavour profile of whisky in Scotland. Stages of its production, including malting, fermentation, distillation, and maturation, have all been developed to suit the temperate maritime climate of the area. Warmer air and water temperatures, the report found, would all have the potential to lead to inefficient cooling in traditional distilleries, creating challenges for conserving the character, consistency, and quality of the liquid.

Professor Mark Maslin, climate change professor at University College London who worked on the report, said: “The work Glengoyne is doing to reduce their carbon emissions and protect whisky production from climate change is essential. But the whisky industry is just one fish in a big pond, and we need government support, investment, and infrastructure for all of us to be net zero emissions as soon as possible.”

1 Annual temperatures in Scotland will rise by up to 2.0˚C 

2 Droughts would occur every 20 years instead of every 40 years by 2050 

About the report 

The study, by Professor Mark Maslin and researcher Carole Roberts from University College London has been commissioned by Glengoyne Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky and looks at how climate change will impact Scotch Whisky production in the next 50 – 100 years. The report illustrates the industry’s reliance on the relatively stable climate conditions under which Scotch Whisky has evolved. The researcher looks at key ingredients as well as the distillation and maturation process and highlights how climate change predictions, particularly hotter and drier summers, are likely to bring challenges to the Scotch Whisky industry.  

Report linked here. 

About Glengoyne 

Owned by Ian Macleod Distillers, one of Scotland’s leading independent family-owned distillers, Glengoyne has been unhurried since 1883. Its complex taste being the result of a bold pledge: to run the spirit through the slowest whisky stills in Scotland. Glengoyne’s flavours build ounce-by-ounce – hour-by-hour - into the gloriously smooth, fruit spirit the distillery is famous for creating.  

Glengoyne introduced its wetlands facility in 2011, treating wastewater slowly and naturally in reed beds that filter and cleanse waste. The wetlands have helped reduce waste by 25% and are home to 14,500 plants and abundant wildlife, fostering biodiversity and encouraging wildlife in the local area. 

Accolades & Awards 

1.   2019: Glengoyne Distillery was awarded a Master medal in the Green Initiatives category at The Spirits Business Distillery Masters 2019, taking the highest possible accolade in the environmentally focused category. 

2.   2019: Glengoyne Distillery received a Commendation in The Amorim Sustainability Award for Spirits at the 2019 Drinks Business Green Awards. The commendation was for Glengoyne’s strong entry that tackled several aspects of sustainability, from wind power to waste management. 

3.   2017: Glengoyne Distillery was given the Amorim Sustainability Award for Spirits. The outstanding achievement recognises Glengoyne’s efficient and sustainable practices which reflect the distillery’s drive to improve upon its environmental impact. 

4.   2016: Glengoyne Distillery received a Commendation in both The Amorim Sustainability award category and The Green Company of the Year category at the Drinks Business Green Awards 2016.  The awards, which are widely considered as the world’s largest programme to raise awareness of green issues within the drinks trade