Ardnamurchan Distillery has claimed to be the “world’s first” distiller to bottle a single malt scotch whisky in polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
The company’s flagship AD Single Malt will be rolled out in a 50cl PET bottle this month in Norway’s alcohol retail monopoly, Vinmonopolet. The whisky has a lower ABV in PET than in its glass counterpart, down from 46.8% to 46%, a move that Ardnamurchan put down to Norway’s strength-based tax system.
AD Single Malt in PET will carry an SRP of NOK399 (US$42.85) in Vinmonopolet, compared to around GBP53 ($71.62) for the 46.8% SKU in the distillery’s domestic market.
Ardnamurchan’s international sales manager, Graeme Mackay, has fronted a brief video explaining the innovation (below) that has been shared on the brand’s social media channels.
Initially available exclusively in Norway, the company said it is “exploring options to distribute this further afield in countries where it makes sense for sustainability”.
Mackay told Global Drinks Intel: “The project is the result of a tender written by Vinmonopolet that specified a product bottled in a 50cl PET bottle. Whilst we are already active in Vinmonopolet across our glass range, this gave us a perfect opportunity to explore alternatives.
“In Norway, PET is viewed as a sustainable bottle type due to their incredibly high rates of recycling (as high as 97%) and the significant drop in weight compared to glass, which reduces transport emissions greatly. This ties in perfectly with our environmental credentials; our distillery is entirely powered by local biomass fuel sourced from local forestry, for example.”
Ardnamurchan, based in the west-coast Highlands hamlet of Glenbeg, added: “Established wisdom says that PET bottles are used for bargain-basement, poor-quality booze, often with brands you have rarely encountered before. We always want to embrace change, and see this as a perfect opportunity to show that PET bottles can contain delicious whisky for a great price.”
