Whisky distillery gets a buzz from its Plan Bee

A Scottish distiller has adopted 100,000 bees as part of National Honey Week.

Running until 28 October, independent Scottish distiller, Glen Scotia, which is based in Campbeltown, has teamed up with the Plan Bee, Scotland’s leading beekeepers, as part of its plan to position the Kintyre peninsula at the forefront of Scotland’s food and drink map.

The honey produced on-site will be available to purchase at the distillery in spring 2019. It is hoped it will be on sale at the next Glen Scotia Open Day, which is to be held as part of the Campbeltown Malts Festival in May 2019.

At this year’s Glen Scotia Open Day, the distillery hosted a number of food and drink stalls to showcase local producers and offer visitors the very best produce hailing from Campbeltown.

Iain McAlister, distillery manager at Glen Scotia said: ‘We’re dedicated to improving our corporate sustainability, and by partnering up with Plan Bee, we can help one of the world’s hardest workers.

‘We are very excited about the arrival of the beehives at the distillery. They will help us to progress our plans to be more sustainable and protect Scotland’s beautiful countryside, which is so crucial to the distilling industry.

Glen Scotia are working with eco group Plan Bee

‘Whisky itself is made with natural ingredients – water, yeast and malted barley, so it is essential that we do what we can to have a positive impact on the environment and protect the land on which we depend to make our wonderful award-winning Glen Scotia single malt Scotch.’

Plan Bee is an eco-innovation business offering beehive adoption, management and educational services to individuals and organisations. By providing an area where the bees can thrive, Glen Scotia is helping to preserve the endangered species.

Alison Bell, managing director at Plan Bee Ltd said: ‘This year has been a remarkable year for Plan Bee. We’ve seen more businesses than ever sign up to support the cause of protecting British pollinators.

‘Much like bees in a hive, as we work together the more successful we all become. Together with Glen Scotia, we’re demonstrating how putting Mother Nature first can have commercial benefit – not just for business but for entire communities. We are looking forward to working with Glen Scotia as Campbeltown becomes Scotland’s next food and drink must-visit destination.’

Glen Scotia has also confirmed it is switching its diesel boiler to LPG as part of its commitment to becoming more sustainable. This will help the distillery to cut its fuel consumption and significantly reduce its carbon footprint.