Researchers from the College of Aberdeen and James Hutton Institute have labored with The Glenlivet distillery to introduce environmentally sustainable options at Chivas Brothers’ Speyside distillery to deal with water shortage and shield whisky manufacturing.
Among the many nature-based measures are small dams within the panorama supplying the distillery, designed to seize water throughout moist durations and to make this obtainable when water is scarce.
Led by PhD pupil Jessica Fennell, who has had a particular ‘Fennell Reserve’ whisky created by The Glenlivet in her honour, the undertaking is meant to assist stop the closure of the distillery throughout dry durations.
Final month’s heatwave noticed temperatures soar throughout Scotland, and such durations are predicted to grow to be extra frequent as a consequence of local weather change. Many distilleries have needed to quickly cease distilling in current summers due to water shortages, costing the trade hundreds of thousands. Through the dry summer season of 2018 groundwater provides to The Glenlivet distillery in Speyside decreased and didn’t replenish till the next spring.
After initially surveying the panorama to find out the place dams would greatest shield groundwater provides, the examine staff used a mixture of subject knowledge assortment and modelling instruments to supply insights into how they operated as soon as put in.
Jessica stated: “Our outcomes discovered that the options we put in could have a small however constructive impression that might assist enhance water availability during times of water shortage and cut back flood peaks throughout excessive rainfall. Crucially, this might stop the distillery closing throughout dry durations which has a big price impression.
“As a result of these measures improve groundwater recharge, and groundwater contribution to streams, our analysis has additionally raised the potential of constructive implications for water temperature. That is necessary as a result of distilleries require cool water and groundwater is usually colder than floor water throughout summer season.
“As water temperature is anticipated to extend with local weather change, extra water will likely be wanted to realize the identical cooling results, and elevated groundwater circulate might assist stabilise stream temperatures in addition to enhance flows by dry summer season durations.”
Dr Josie Geris, from the College’s Faculty of Geosciences, supervised Jessica and is a co-author of the examine, which was funded by NERC and Chivas Brothers, homeowners of The Glenlivet. Different co-authors embrace Dr Mark Wilkinson from the James Hutton Institute and Dr Ronald Daalmans, Environmental Sustainability Supervisor at Chivas Brothers. Their findings have been revealed within the Worldwide Journal for River Basin Administration.
Dr Geris commented: “Water shortage could grow to be a big challenge in Scotland sooner or later, and right here we now have proven that these nature-based options provide a price efficient, environmentally useful strategy to water useful resource administration that may be utilized to this economically very important sector – there might also be a profit by way of securing groundwater provides.
“The teachings realized can even doubtlessly be utilized to different areas of the financial system that depend on personal water provide and convey different potential advantages, for instance in flood administration, enhancements to biodiversity and water high quality, the restoration of upland habitats, and carbon storage.”
Dr Daalmans added: “Our goal is to make sure all our distilleries function throughout the native capability of their catchment to supply water, notably throughout low flows. This analysis has indicated that the land throughout the catchment may very well be used to assist mitigate the impacts of local weather change on water availability.
“That is necessary for the long-term viability of the distillery, however might additionally profit your complete Scotch Whisky trade, particularly in upland areas. We intend to proceed monitoring the impact of the measures on water availability at this website over the long run.”
