At InchDairnie Distillery, we produce our 8-year-old peated whisky; KinGlassie, which we will launch later this year. We recognise that whisky relies on natural resources for its production, and that making a peated whisky uses a precious Scottish resource. We do not take this for granted.  Extraction has an impact on the environment, so we are taking steps to outweigh our extraction through restoration.

Peat use

The whisky industry currently uses just 2-3% of the peat extracted in Scotland. But in the past, the whisky industry has taken much more. As members of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), we work with the industry towards their sustainability goals, including those related to peat extraction, malting efficiency, and peat restoration in their Commitment to Responsible Peat Use.

Degraded Peatlands

Healthy peatlands play an important role in water quality, wildlife habitats, and carbon storage. But over 80% of Scotland’s peatland is degraded, and as a result is actively emitting carbon. Therefore, there is a need and an opportunity to restore peatland.

Industry Collaboration

InchDairnie Distillery is part of a new proposed peatland restoration partnership, launching later in 2025, which brings together smaller distilleries, environmental bodies, and the Scotch Whisky Association. Through this collaborative initiative, the partnership members aim to restore more peat than they take.

We will continue to share updates on our involvement in this peatland restoration project as it develops. These projects are complicated and when you involve nature, unpredictable. But it is step in the right direction and we hope to see really positive results.

Our Broader Strategy

This project sits under the ‘Land & Water’ theme of our wider sustainability strategy, and ties into its three objetcives: