Scotch whisky: Dams built to protect the 'Water of Life'

The small dams have been built into the landscape at The Glenlivet distillery, Moray, and will capture water to be used in production during periods of scarcity.

Last month’s heatwave saw temperatures soar across Scotland, with experts predicting them to become more frequent due to climate change.

Many distilleries have had to temporarily stop distilling in recent summers because of water shortages, costing the industry millions. During the dry summer of 2018, groundwater supplies to The Glenlivet distillery decreased and did not replenish until the following spring.

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Researchers from the University of Aberdeen hope the eco-friendly project will prevent the closure of the distillery during dry periods. PhD student Jessica Fennell said: “Our results found that the features we installed will have a small but positive impact that could help increase water availability during periods of water scarcity and reduce flood peaks during high rainfall.

“Crucially, this could prevent the distillery closing during dry periods which has a significant cost impact.

“Because these measures enhance groundwater recharge, and groundwater contribution to streams, our research has also raised the possibility of positive implications for water temperature.

“This is important because distilleries require cool water and groundwater is typically colder than surface water during summer.

“As water temperature is expected to increase with climate change, more water will be needed to achieve the same cooling effects, and increased groundwater flow could help stabilise stream temperatures as well as increase flows through dry summer periods.”

Co-author of the study Dr Josie Geris, from the School of Geosciences, said: “Water scarcity may become a significant issue in Scotland in the future, and here we have shown that these nature-based solutions offer a cost effective, environmentally beneficial approach to water resource management that can be applied to this economically vital sector – there may also be a benefit in terms of securing groundwater supplies.

“The lessons learned can also potentially be applied to other areas of the economy that rely on private water supply, and bring other potential benefits, for example in flood management, improvements to biodiversity and water quality, the restoration of upland habitats, and carbon storage.”

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The distillery, which was founded in 1824, draws water from Josie’s Well and other springs a short distance from the distillery. It is the second biggest selling malt whisky in the world with annual sales of six million bottles.

Water resources are currently “critical” in the east of Scotland with businesses such as distilleries facing being forced to stop abstracting water unless levels improve significantly.

Groundwater levels in those parts of Scotland reached a record-breaking low and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) warned conditions are not expected to improve in the near future.

This year kicked off with the driest January in the east of Scotland has seen since 1940. Sepa is now working with industry bodies that depend on water such as hydropower, golf, whisky production and farming.

Dr Ronald Daalmans, Environmental Sustainability Manager at Chivas Brothers, added: “Our aim is to ensure all our distilleries operate within the local capacity of their catchment to provide water, particularly during low flows.

“This research has indicated that the land within the catchment could be used to help mitigate the impacts of climate change on water availability.

“This is important for the long-term viability of the distillery, but could also benefit the entire Scotch whisky industry. We intend to continue monitoring the effect of the measures at this site over the long term.”