The company behind the Laphroaig and Bowmore whisky brands will today unveil a partnership to restore peatlands in Ayrshire as its works towards the conservation of the equivalent amount of peat used to make its single Islay malts.

The partnership between Beam Suntory and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) marks the second phase of the Peatland Water Sanctuary (PWS) initiative, a joint $4 million (£3.5m) conservation project launched in 2021. Beam Suntory will provide approximately $435,000 (£385,000) of funding to restore and regenerate peatland at the Airds Moss reserve in East Ayrshire.

The work will take place over four years covering approximately 160 hectares of land owned by RSPB Scotland. It follows on the first stage of the PWS initiative which began with work to restore and conserve peatland near the Ardmore distillery in Aberdeenshire in November 2021.

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Beam Suntory has committed to the restoration and conservation of 1,300 hectares of peatlands in Scotland by 2030, enough to produce the same amount of peat that it harvests every year in making its Scotch whiskies. Beyond that, there is a longer-term aim to restore sufficient peatlands by 2040 equal to twice the volume of peat that Beam Suntory harvests.

"We’re now a year in since launching our PWS initiative and it’s rewarding to be using our accumulating knowledge and expertise to make a significant impact to Scotland’s ecosystems," said Alistair Longwell, head of distillation and environment at Beam Suntory.

"Working across the Airds Moss Reserve in partnership with RSPB Scotland represents a great step forward in our goal to restore 1,300 hectares of peatland by 2030."