Water of Life

'Today's rain is tomorrow's whisky' - so they say, and in dreich, wet Scotland, the country is almost drowning in the stuff. But Scottish rivers are suffering as the poor, endangered salmon would testify, and as Tom Bruce-Gardyne reports, some distillers are deciding to act …

"The production of Scotch is much more an art than a manufacturing process, an art which requires above all a certain quality of water found only in parts of Scotland," claimed a pamphlet published by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) in 1959. Other than water, it was a mystery why the drink tasted the way it did - "a secret which imitators of Scotch whisky the world over would give a fortune to know."

In other words, Scotch was unassailable from the competition, unless those imitators began shipping water from the motherland of whisky, God forbid! Today, such hubris sounds laughable and no-one mentions water quality in terms of flavour any more. However, it is one of only three ingredients in the drink along with cereal and yeast, and it is by far the biggest in volume. As well as steeping the barley and diluting the whisky to bottling strength, vast quantities are required to condense the vapours off the still.

Water also happens to be very topical right now. Conversations around water sustainability on social media almost trebled last year according to a report by Diageo. While a survey by Pernod Ricard's Chivas Brothers, claims that seven out of ten Brits are concerned about the health of their local river, and even more are concerned about the health of UK waterways in general.

In March 2024, Chivas announced that it was investing in a long-term partnership with three river trusts to protect and improve water quality in the catchment area of the Spey and its tributaries called 'The River Within'. Julie Gallacher, the firm's head of sustainable business change & engagement, explained that: "while we use this precious resource responsibly, returning 96% of what we use to its source, we like to think there's a 'river within' each bottle. Many of our distilleries are built on the banks of treasured Scottish rivers and it's from these waters that our renowned whiskies are endowed with their unique spirit, essence and even their names."

"Having worked in other industries, I think it is a very clean industry," she says of Scotch whisky. "Water treatment is on site before it's returned [to the river], and we ensure it goes back at the right temperature. We do take it seriously, and with today's communications people would soon know if you were causing an issue." At the time of the SWA's pamphlet at least one East Coast distillery was pumping its effluent straight into the North Sea, but that was long before social media, of course.

There is a practical imperative in this for any distiller as Julie explains: "With dry summers we've got droughts leading to water scarcity. In 2018, with its heatwave, we had some distilleries actually stop production. It's important for us, as a key business in Scotland that relies on those natural resources to take responsibility, and think about water stewardship." So, as well as having the means to make whisky, come rain or shine, it's about doing the right thing for the environment and the community.

"My backgrounds in marketing, but in the last 8-10 years I've pivoted to sustainability," she says of a career that has taken her from Nespresso to Pernod. "What I love about Chivas Bros, is you can get your arms around any issue you have, in terms of the environment."

The company is clearly keen to talk up its green credentials, but so does everyone, as they bang their sustainability drum and brag about bio-mass boilers and carbon capture. How much sinks in with the average consumer, is another matter. Yet Julie and her team appear to have hit on something that does resonate, at least here. "In the UK there are lots of issues around large water companies discharging sewage," she says. "Maybe the story-telling around carbon has been a bit technical. It feels a bit distant, and that you as an individual can't make an impact. Water feels a bit closer to home, it's about nature, and there's something more engaging per se."

"I think consumers are engaged in the topic, but perhaps there's a gap in knowledge and understanding, and that's what the River Within can help with." The programme is a collaboration with key experts in the river trusts. "They're the credible partners because they really, truly understand their catchment," she says. "They know the interventions needed to make it better."

The decline of the wild Atlantic salmon has been a potent symbol in all this. The species, that so relies on pure, unpolluted water, is now on the endangered list – rather shockingly. This clearly motivates the river trusts, but is only part of the story for Chivas Bros in its ambition to address climate change, according to Julie.

So far, it has all been quite corporate, but with Chivas such a big player in the region with ten of its twelve malt distilleries on Speyside including Glenlivet and Aberlour, she says: "We are now looking at how we can leverage that portfolio to bring them into it, because they've got wider audiences, and they can tell that story in a very engaging way."

"I think it's important that sustainability is embedded in business, and is also embedded in brands," she adds. "There's lots of research out there that purpose-led brans are delivering better results, but it has to be baked into its DNA. It can't be added on, because then it doesn't feel genuine. If there's a disconnect for consumers it feels like green-washing."