20 | Sustainability
Turning the
AMBER NECTAR
green
Scotland’s distilleries are blending sustainability into their daily operations, all the way through from whisky production to packaging Written by Peter Ranscombe
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fter building her Nc’Nean Distillery on the beautiful Morvern Peninsula back in 2017, Annabel Thomas could have been forgiven for resting on her laurels. After all, she’d installed a biomass boiler to provide renewable energy from woodchips, she’d introduced the UK’s first clear recycled glass bottle, and she’d chosen to use only organic Scottish barley to make her whisky. Yet Thomas is now going further. Following the release in 2020 of her maiden whisky, she’s now working with her farmers to measure and reduce their carbon dioxide emissions too, as well as introducing bees to the distillery, and trying to find a recyclable refill pouch that will have a lower carbon footprint than her bottle. ‘Sustainability is very important personally, but I think
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it is incumbent upon all businesses to prioritise this now,’ she says. ‘It is one of the most important issues facing the world and I think corporates need to take responsibility.’ Making organic whisky has struck a chord with her consumers too. ‘I think people appreciate the care it shows for our supply chain, beyond our own operations – what they may not appreciate is that we also think it influences the taste and texture of our whisky, bringing extra richness and depth to the liquid,’ she adds. Thomas is one of a growing band
Top: Annabel Thomas with Nc’nean Organic Whisky in the fully recycled glass bottle. Bottom: Nc’nean Distillery.
07/12/2021 17:01:27
