We have been looking into how Stirling Distillery can become a more sustainable business. Over the past year, we have partnered with Heriot-Watt University to investigate the viability of offering Stirling Whisky to customers in aluminium packaging when it is ready in 2027.

The challenges with this are two fold - would the whisky profile change in this type of packing and would consumers be interested in purchasing an expensive bottle of whisky in this non-traditional style of packaging?
 
Two students (Andrew Marr and Charlotte York) took on the challenge to investigate the first question in their dissertations. Andrew focused on the sensory characteristics and Charlotte focused on the chemical profiling. Their findings are hosted here for you to read in-depth.
 
An executive summary of their work is as follows:

Aluminium is significantly more sustainable than glass bottles, but they would require a liner to avoid profile changes over time. Even with a liner, the composition of which would be crucial, it would still be a more sustainable option. Professor Annie Hill, Dr. David Ellis and students now have the challenge of working out which liner would be most suitable because if it cannot handle the high ethanol content of the spirit, it will degrade and aluminium will leach into the liquid in the form of acid-salts.
 
Thank you to the University for taking on this challenge and to the students for their excellent work.

We will continue to explore initiatives to make the whisky industry more sustainable while upholding the stringent standards of SWR 2009.

The distillery commissioned Graham+Sibbald to carry out an energy efficiency assessment of our historic Old Smiddy site at Lower Castlehill. The survey, completed in July 2023, examined the building’s thermal performance, current heating and lighting systems, and other energy-using equipment to identify opportunities for improvement.

The report highlighted a range of practical, non-invasive recommendations designed to reduce energy consumption, improve comfort, and lower both operating costs and carbon emissions which we have been integrating into our business. These insights help us make informed decisions as we continue to enhance the sustainability of our historic home.