The UK is the worldās largest exporter of whisky, which has been distilled in Scotland for 500 years. But the peat used to flavour some Scotch whiskies is increasingly under the spotlight as the fight against climate change steps up.
The conservation of peatland will be a key talking point at the COP26 climate summit now under way in Glasgow, UK, because peat stores large amounts of carbon. Some estimates suggest that UK peatlands contain more than 3Ā billion tonnes of itĀ ā about the same as all the forests in France, Germany and the UK combined.
When peat is dug up, often to use as fuel or to make compost, carbon is releasedĀ ā and because peat takes thousands of years toĀ form, it cannot be considered a renewable resource. This raises difficult questions for whisky producers.
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For generations, peat smoke has been used to enhance the flavour of the barley that goes toĀ make whisky. It is still used inĀ about a third of malt whiskies produced in Scotland, and accounts for about 6 per cent of the peat dug up in the country, according to , from 2014.
While it is plentiful in Scotland, the peat used in whisky is largely extracted from two areas: the Isle of Islay off the west coast, and Aberdeenshire in the north-east of the country.
, a government agency responsible for Scotlandās natural heritage, hasĀ had a deal with one whisky producer, Diageo, since 1974 to extract peat on Islay. However, the nature of that deal may change in the years ahead.
āExtraction rights were granted to Diageo to support the whisky industry and prevent damage to other peatlands,ā says a NatureScot spokesperson. āHowever, as part of a review of our landholdings with the aim of delivering on net-zero targets we are urgently exploring with Diageo the opportunities to reduce emissions from the site.ā
āWe recognise the important role peatbog ecosystems play inĀ terms of biodiversity and climate change and we are committed to working with partners to ensure we manage resources as sustainably as possible for the future,ā says aĀ spokesperson for Diageo.
Last year, the Scottish government promised Ā£250Ā million to help restore theĀ nationās peatlands and stopĀ them leaking carbon, which will add to the pressure on whisky manufacturers to change their practices.
āI want distilleries to use the peat from sites that are already degraded, like when a new road is cut through,ā says Clifton BainĀ at the . āThereās been a myth around the industry that you have to take peat from certain places only, because theyāve got a unique flavour.ā
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Removing peat from degraded sites, however, will mean abandoning tradition, and it is unclear whether whisky distilleries and drinkers would welcome such a move.
But Neil Godsman, a peat farmer in Aberdeenshire whoĀ supplies the whisky industry, is pragmatic. He isnātĀ too disheartened about theĀ fact that the peatbog he andĀ his family have farmed forĀ decades is nearing the endĀ ofĀ its commercial life. āPeatĀ is peat,ā he says. āItās theĀ same everywhere.ā
