‘Shapely strawberries’ and reduced whisky production - how the heat is affecting Scottish producers

The unseasonably warm weather in Scotland is having an impact on some producers.

It is a unseasonably warm spring spell, with temperatures reaching highs of 25.5C, that is taking its toll on some popular Scottish produce - and leading to some unexpected results.

Parts of the Highlands have been hotter than Morocco this month, with a very warm, dry April and a drier and warmer than average winter leaving its mark on Scotland’s growing season.

With more than 100 days of sunshine, Scotland’s world-class soft fruits are having a bumper - and slightly early - season.

Strawberry plants, typically grown in polytunnels north of the Border, have been producing ‘giant’ berries as large as 50g on the back of a largely bright and dry March and April.

Jill Witheyman, head of marketing at Angus Soft Fruits, said: "A strong season like this is not just great for consumers, it’s vital from a grower’s business perspective too.

“High-quality fruit and consistent yields help us meet customer demand, maintain strong relationships with our buyers – the supermarkets - and reinforce our reputation for excellence. Healthy, thriving crops are also more efficient to manage and harvest, supporting both the sustainability and long-term growth of our farms.”

Angus Soft Fruits strawberries | Angus Soft Fruits

British Berry Growers, which represents 95 per cent of all British-grown berries sold in the UK, said the flavour profile of the 2025 yield of strawberries leans towards the sweeter end of the scale, owing to unusually high sunshine levels this spring.

Nick Marston, chairman of British Berry Growers, said: “This year’s early season strawberries are looking exceptional in both flavour and form. The warm weather, high-light levels and active pollination have come together beautifully. We’re expecting a strong yield and outstanding taste quality this season.”

Pollination from bees is also an essential factor in producing the shapely strawberry figure that consumers love. The high light levels and mild weather in the early stages of spring brought the crop forward by around seven days compared to other years, according to growers.

Bartosz Pinkosz, operations director at the Summer Berry Company, said: "From March onwards, it was really kind of perfect for tunnel strawberries. The berries are between 10 per cent and 20 per cent larger."

But while it is good news for those consumers who love Scottish strawberries, the warm weather, lack of rain this spring and snow this winter has not been as kind to whisky. The conditions has contributed to a much-loved Speyside distillery cutting its production days.

Callum Fraser, production manager for Glenfarclas - a family-owned whisky distillery - said this is the driest he had seen the weather in all his time in his role.

He said: “Production has been halved since the end of April. This happens most years, but never this early. Normally we would start to have water issues towards the end of May into June.

Callum Fraser, production manager at Glenfarclas Distillery | Supplied

“Every year we need to slow down in the drier months and schedule our production to make more in the winter months, knowing that we will be short of water in June.

“This year, however, is the driest I have seen in my 13 years as manager at Glenfarclas. We had to stop production in 2018 mid-June through to mid-October due to a lack of water. It would appear that this is becoming more common than in the past.”

Lack of water is also exacerbated by lack of snowfall on the hills in Speyside, with nothing falling on Ben Rinnes, the main mountain in Moray Speyside. Mr Fraser said the team were always looking for ways to save water in the whisky-making process, by reusing and recirculating. But he said the lack of snowfall was a huge issue for the water supply.

But for those worried about whisky stocks, Mr Fraser said not to be as “we are doing our best to get production done while saving water”.