UK: Scotland's oldest working whisky distillery planning to stop using peat in production

Scotland's oldest working whisky distillery has announced plans to say 'farewell to peat' from next year, Yahoo News UK reported on November 19.

The Glenturret has started the transition to move away from using peated malt in its production in 2025 and will later remove peated expressions from its core range from 2026.

Although originally using peat in the 18th and 19th centuries, much of The Glenturret’s whisky making has been unpeated in style.

The distillery introduced Ruadh Maor, a peat-smoked form of The Glenturret whisky in 2009, which alongside their unpeated spirit, has been produced annually.

The decision to no longer include Peat Smoked releases in The Glenturret’s award-winning core range, has been made with "a clear future house style in mind", celebrating the Crieff distillery’s distinctive light and fruitful new make spirit, nurtured in predominantly American oak sherry seasoned casks.

This transition has been announced just as The Glenturret is recognised as Walpole’s Sustainable Luxury Brand of the Year.

Explaining the important balance between distilling a high-quality spirit whilst reducing impact, Ian Renwick, distillery director at The Glenturret, said: “We honour the environment as deeply as we do our craft and that is the mantra for The Glenturret of the future.

"Our attention to detail is second to none and as a small team, it’s incredible what we can achieve in our whisky making.

"Significant investment to our production facilities have reduced our annual energy consumption by 27%, our process waste by 1,000 tonnes per year, and saved 1,000,000 litres of water annually.

"As responsible distillers, we seek out not only the best materials but also the most considered practices when crafting our whiskies.”

This latest development follows on from the distillery’s transformative acquisition led by the Lalique group in March 2019.

Prior to acquisition, the majority of the distillery’s spirit was distilled and matured with blending in mind.

This is no longer the case as the brand evolves its output exclusively for its own Single Malt production.

Pictured: Jennie Baernreuther, The Glenturret’s managing director (Image: The Glenturret) Jennie Baernreuther, The Glenturret’s managing director, said: "The last few years of new ownership have allowed us the space to dedicate our time and resources, into crafting something that celebrates both our incredibly rich heritage and the unique terroir of our Perthshire home.

"Refining both our production and style gives us confidence in the future, that alongside the unforgettable depth of craftmanship in everything that we produce, our distinctive fruit notes and American oak sherry influence will be instantly recognisable as a Glenturret Single Malt.”

As The Glenturret transitions fully to its signature house style, fans of the peated expressions can still find remaining bottles of the Seven, 10-year-old and other Peat Smoked Editions in the distillery boutique, online shop, and at select retailers, while stocks last.

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