The Scottish distillery sector is, by its nature, rooted in the long term. From the land that produces the raw materials to the environmental assets that support sustainability ambitions, success depends on careful stewardship, clear strategy and trusted professional advice delivered by advisers with deep sector and place-based knowledge.
For many estates, the relationship with distilling begins in the field. The production of spring barley for malting remains a key opportunity for landowners, offering a premium over feed barley when managed and marketed correctly. Our agricultural and estate management specialists work closely with landowners and farmers to agree annual cropping strategies, balance risk and opportunity, and ensure crops are positioned to achieve maximum value. In a market that can be affected by global pressures and fluctuating demand, this hands-on, locally informed advice, grounded in decades of on-the-ground experience, is critical.
We have been advising estates on agricultural and rural management for decades, particularly across Scotland where distilling plays a central role in the rural economy. This long-standing presence, combined with specialist expertise across farming, environmental stewardship and estate management, allows us to tailor advice to individual properties, taking account of the market, soil types, tenancy arrangements and long-term objectives. The focus is always on supporting landowners to make informed decisions that strengthen both their income and resilience over the long term.
Beyond crop production, landowners are increasingly involved in wider distillery-related projects, particularly where sustainability and environmental responsibility are concerned. Distilleries are seeking to invest in habitat restoration and carbon reduction or sequestration initiatives, and farms and estates are well placed to deliver these outcomes. Where peat has been harvested for use as part of the malting process presents an opportunity to reinvest and restore the local natural environment. Our natural capital and sustainable investment team works alongside estate managers to act as a trusted intermediary, ensuring landscape and nature restoration projects are structured clearly, responsibilities are defined, and landowners’ interests are protected throughout.
A recent peatland restoration project illustrates this approach. Working on behalf of an estate, Bidwells specialists acted across multiple roles, helping to design and manage a collaborative project with a distillery group focused on restoring degraded peatland. The estate benefits from long-term environmental improvement and generation of to carbon credits, while the distillery meets its internal corporate responsibility objectives. By managing the project from initial multi-party agreement through to delivery and reporting, drawing on environmental, agency and project management expertise, we ensured a smooth process and a successful outcome for all parties.
Our involvement in the distillery sector extends further still, advising on site assembly and purchases, together with securing all the necessary rights for access, water supplies and services encompassing planning, development and infrastructure advice for new distilling and malting facilities, estate management support, and the integration of circular land-use practices. From the reuse of distillery by-products within local farming systems to the delivery of complex rural developments, our teams work collaboratively across disciplines to provide joined-up advice.
By combining deep rural knowledge with a broad range of in-house specialists, we support distillers, farms and estates to capture opportunity, manage change and play a sustainable role in one of the UK’s most important rural industries.
