Beyond Whisky: Peat's Role as a Secret Weapon for Battling Climate Change

In some of the world's finest whiskies, peatlands provide an essential ingredient and one which is revered the world over for its distinctive contributions to an already elevated product.

The problem for some Scots however, as explain in a 2022 New York Times 'Headway' feature, is that peat — and the land on which it flourishes — has become a pawn in a much larger industry.

As the lead-in to the Times article notes, one businessman owns 200,000 acres in Scotland destined for peatland restoration, which could not only help the world mitigate climate change, but also make some of the world's richest people even richer.

Thomas MacDonell oversees the restoration of native plants and peat on the Glenfeshie estate. You can read the article in question for free without a New York Times subscription, as long as you stay within their 'free article' limit.

In the article entitled, "Who Will Profit from Saving Scotland's Bogs", writer David Segal writes about the man behind 200,000+ acres of estate land in Scotland's Glenfeshie valley - and in the middle of the debate over the role of peatlands in this battle that has nothing (and yet everything) to do with the key ingredient behind your dram of Ardbeg and Laphroig.

The article is supported by stunning photography by Catherine Hyland, which just makes it that much harder to put off your next trip to the home of scotch whisky...enjoy!