IN a land famed for its pristine lochs and peaty burns, it is regarded as one of the most precious ingredients of Scotland’s biggest export.
Now whisky leaders are investing in science to help ensure supplies of water exist well into the future.
They say the industry behind the amber nectar, or uisge beatha, is now taking the issue of water sustainability seriously.
Whisky giant, Chivas Brothers, have announced the appointment of a PhD student from the University of Aberdeen to work with the firm on safeguarding resources for the future.
Jessica Fennell will conduct research to help combat the effects of climate change, working to identify natural solutions to reduce and manage the impact of water scarcity and rising water temperatures during prolonged warm and dry periods.
Based at both the University and the Glenlivet distillery in Moray, she said she aims to “really understand how the water catchment works and hopefully identify the steps distilleries may need to take to make sure they have enough cold water to continue production long into the future”.
Scotland exports around £4 billion worth of whisky annually, with rules governing the production which dictate that it has to be distilled in Scotland from local water and barley.
Chivas Brothers’ production director, Gordon Buist, said that Ms Fennell’s appointment marked an important step forward in pioneering an important area of research.
During the project, she will work alongside an environmental and sustainability team to identify and test the effectiveness of novel solutions to manage water flow.
“This will include identifying the best locations to use these techniques, as these will be dependent on the type of soil, ground cover and land gradient,” he said.
“Our ambition is that this research will provide a solid foundation for further development in the future, and will take us – and the wider industry - one step closer to understanding and securing sustainable water resources in the long term.”
Chivas Brothers said water management was one of its strategic focuses within its environmental policy, as well as wider aims of its parent company, Pernod Ricard.
The global drinks giant said it had signed up to the UN’s CEO Water Mandate in 2010 in an attempt to cut water consumption and protect water resources.
It said it would address three factors underpinning this: the preservation of water resources and reducing consumption, the tailoring of water resource management to local issues and also properly treating water before returning it to the environment.
The move is the latest made by a number in the industry to ensure sustainable water resources, while upholding water quality and availability.
Scottish Whisky Association Head of Sustainability and Innovation, Morag Garden, said the industry was now taking water sustainability seriously.
She said: “It is one of only three ingredients used to make Scotch, along with cereals and yeast, so every effort is made to ensure responsible use of water in the production process.”
Citing their industry-wide environmental strategy, she said that there had been 14 per cent reduction in net water use since 2008 while Scotch Whisky production had increased to meet global demand.
Last year, a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports investigated the impact of water on whisky.
Bjorn Karlsson and Ran Friedman, of the Linnaeus University Center for Biomaterials Chemistry, researched the field after Friedman visited Scotland and raised an eyebrow at the locals’ commitment to watering down their golden nectar. He then teamed up with his colleague to conduct computer simulations to model the molecular composition of whiskey and found that adding water can improve the flavour because it releases molecules that rise to the surface and boost taste.
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