Sustainability at The Botanist

LOOKING AFTER OUR HOME

As custodians of Islay, we are striving to reduce the impact of our operations and become more environmentally conscientious in our actions.

We must ensure that our impact is positive, and that our distillery is left to future generations in a better condition than in which we found it. Only with this holistic approach can we improve the quality of life for our planet and people

Since the resurrection of Bruichladdich Distillery in 2001, our motivation has remained simple: to do what is right - for our people, the community and the island. Our founders Mark Reynier and Simon Coughlin, alongside Master Distiller Jim McEwan, set out to redefine what a spirits company could stand for. Together, they built a small but enthusiastic workforce and 25 years on, we continue to thrive and use our business as a force for good.

B CORP CERTIFICATION

Since our resurrection in 2001, our mission has been to reconnect people, planet and spirits as a force for good and to be more sustainable in all that we do. We want to fulfil a purpose that is bigger than our business and that benefits our wider community.

In 2020, we were the first Scotch whisky and gin distillery in Europe to receive B Corp certification - meeting the highest standards of social and environmental performance. The B Corp movement was established to help mission-driven businesses to protect and improve their positive impact over time, and we're proud to be part of this growing, global community of organisations using their business as a force for good.

Find out more

ENERGY

BIODIVERSITY

PACKAGING & WASTE

ISLAY & COMMUNITY

We are working towards decarbonising our distillery's production process. We are committed to reducing our carbon emissions - 100% of the energy used on-site is from renewable sources. For example, since 2011 wastewater from the stills has been used to heat our distillery offices, bottling hall and visitor centre.

We support plant biodiversity on Islay and beyond, partnering with organisations to plan and implement change through The Botanist Foundation. We continue to research sustainable agriculture, exploring the models necessary to make them viable. Recently, our two full-time foragers mapped newly found areas of botanicals into The Botanist Geographic Information System (GIS), including a bountiful population of tansy. They also surveyed seagrass meadows around Islay to support conservation efforts and cared for 60 juniper plants in the wild as part of our long-term juniper propagation project.

We are on a mission to use less and reuse more. From production to packaging, we aim to reduce our impact and our waste. For instance, the spent botanicals used in The Botanist distillation are now repurposed as compost and fertiliser on our croft land.

Our social, economic and environmental impact on this island must be a positive one. We are the largest private employer on Islay and almost half of our workforce is female. We recently clocked up approximately 940 hours of collective volunteering across the business and were named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces in Manufacturing, Production and Transportation. Our communities on Islay and beyond will continue to be at the heart of every decision we make.

ENERGY

We are working towards decarbonising our distillery's production process. We are committed to reducing our carbon emissions - 100% of the energy used on-site is from renewable sources. For example, since 2011 wastewater from the stills has been used to heat our distillery offices, bottling hall and visitor centre.

BIODIVERSITY

We support plant biodiversity on Islay and beyond, partnering with organisations to plan and implement change through The Botanist Foundation. We continue to research sustainable agriculture, exploring the models necessary to make them viable. Recently, our two full-time foragers mapped newly found areas of botanicals into The Botanist Geographic Information System (GIS), including a bountiful population of tansy. They also surveyed seagrass meadows around Islay to support conservation efforts and cared for 60 juniper plants in the wild as part of our long-term juniper propagation project.

PACKAGING & WASTE

We are on a mission to use less and reuse more. From production to packaging, we aim to reduce our impact and our waste. For instance, the spent botanicals used in The Botanist distillation are now repurposed as compost and fertiliser on our croft land.

ISLAY & COMMUNITY

Our social, economic and environmental impact on this island must be a positive one. We are the largest private employer on Islay and almost half of our workforce is female. We recently clocked up approximately 940 hours of collective volunteering across the business and were named one of the UK’s Best Workplaces in Manufacturing, Production and Transportation. Our communities on Islay and beyond will continue to be at the heart of every decision we make.

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We encourage you to enjoy our gin responsibly.