Whisky distilleries get rail trials under way

Richard Lochhead welcomed the move to rail freight. Picture: TSPL

Scotch and newly-made spirit will be taken in tankers on the 200-mile journey from Elgin, via Aberdeen, to Grangemouth as part of efforts to reduce congestion and pollution.

Five distillers – Chivas Brothers, Diageo, Glen Turner, John Dewar & Sons, and Whyte & Mackay – are taking part in the twice-weekly trial, which runs until the middle on November.

Barley, malt and empty bourbon barrels may make the return journey from Grangemouth to Elgin.

The “Lifting the Spirit” project is being funded by the European Union, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Transport Partnership (Hitrans) and Moray Council.

Rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead said: “The area covered by this trial is home to 77 distilleries, which produce 85 per cent of all of Scotch malt whisky. That equates to a lot of freight on Scotland’s roads.”

Councillor Fiona Murdoch, Moray Council’s representative on the Hitrans board, added: “I am very hopeful this pilot will see a reduction in lorry journeys up and down the A9, easing congestion and reducing pollution, which will benefit everyone.”

Many distilleries on Speyside used the Strathspey Railway during the 19th century and the early parts of the 20th century to transport goods, but the line was closed to passengers and freight during the Beeching cuts in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Scotch Whisky Association trade body said the trial marks the first time since the mid-1980s that “any substantial volume of goods” has been moved from Elgin by rail.

A spokeswoman for the Road Hauliers’ Association said: “It’s all about horses for courses.

“If this is a cost-effective way to move whisky then we would welcome it. Road haulage is becoming more about moving fresh goods just before they are needed in the shops and so taking other freight off the roads would help to ease congestion for our members.”