Introduction
The Scotch Whisky Research Institute ( SWRI ) is a registered company in Scotland which serves the demands of distillery companies in Scotland and besides worldwide. It is situated in the Robertson Trust edifice of Heriot Watt University ‘s north research avenue campus at Riccorton, Edinburgh. It is a much focussed research administration which helps assorted companies associated with it in Whisky research. It carries out research right from natural stuff to bottling of whiskey, which includes every measure in the fabrication procedure. It was started by some Scotch whiskey companies in 1979 with a common involvement to transport out research based on the Scotch whiskey.
Chiefly it was started by Jim Gray, Eric Dewar and Jim Swan. Scotch whiskey has its alone repute worldwide, fundamentally due to its quality and spirit. But there was a batch to cognize about the fabrication procedure, chemical/biological transitions taking topographic point in the procedure. Whisky companies at that clip recognised the demand of adequate research to be done in this country and besides on placing the spirit of whiskey, and this is the ground why they required a common platform and therefore established SWRI. It is a charity registered in Scotland which does research merely for the benefits of the distillery industries.
At SWRI, a wheel named “ Pentland Wheel ” was developed which is fundamentally used to depict assorted spirits and olfactory property of whiskey in a descriptive mode. Today all the Scotch whiskey companies protect their alone individuality in the market by bring forthing the exact typical spirit which the client likes. Hence spirit plays an of import function for a whiskey to prolong the competition in the market. This institute ‘s chief purpose is to continue the good wheel of Scotch whiskey by developing techniques to place the originality of whiskey to be called as a score whiskey, therefore extinguishing the copying spirit merchandises in the market which may impact the full Scotch whiskey industry.
Business ASPECTS
Scotch Whisky Research Institute ( SWRI ) is a UKAS 1960 accredited research lab which ensures clients of good quality consequences. It is fundamentally an R & A ; D administration. It has members from assorted states around the universe. Some of the companies associated with it are Chivas Brothers ( France ) , Diageo ( UK ) ,
Glenmorangie ( France ) , Inverhouse ( Thailand ) , Morrison Bowmore ( Japan ) , Whyte & A ; Mackey ( India ) , Bean Global ( USA ) , Dranburie ( Scotland ) , Ian Macleod ( Scotland ) , North British Distillers ( Scotland ) , John Dewar & A ; boies ( Bermuda ) , Edrington ( Scotland ) , WM Grant & A ; Sons ( Scotland ) , etc. It besides got knowledge reassign partnerships with universities like Heriot-Watt University, University of Birmingham, University of Nottingham, University of Abertay Dundee and Institutes like The Scotch Whisky Association, Scottish Crop Research Institute ( SCRI ) , Brewing Research International ( BRI ) , The Gin and Vodka Association ( GVA ) , Institute of Brewing and Distilling ( IBD ) , John Innes Centre, Food Standards Agency ( FSA ) etc.
At present it has got around 24 full clip employees. They work under four different groups, viz. Executive Board, Main board, Research Management Committee and Technical Liasion Group. These divisions in bend histories for the systematic and organized work in the research institute. SWRI addresses longer term proficient issues to guarantee condensing sustainability. It has a exhaustively trained centripetal panel of 19 members, who are experienced in a scope of spirit merchandises. These centripetal panel members carry out the centripetal analysis of assorted whisky merchandises.
Is has UKAS ( ISO-17025 ) accreditation for cardinal methods used in the analysis and research procedure. Its research work is carried out in countries like Authenticity analysis, Flavour apprehension, Linking Chemical & A ; Sensory profiles etc. It concentrates on the quality of the Scotch whiskey and attempts to do the production procedure much easier and economical to the makers.
Scotch whiskey is the largest class of whisky sold in the universe. It is sold in over 200 states worldwide. The top 10 states which exported Scotch whiskey from Scotland in 2008 were USA, France, Spain, Singapore, South Korea, Greece, Germany, South Africa, Taiwan, and Venezuela severally. Besides there is great demand for Scotch whiskey in states like India, China & A ; assorted gulf states. In 2008, 300,475,617 liters of Scotch whiskey has been exported. This equates to & A ; lb ; 3,027,303,874 in value of concern. It means that about 25 % of UK nutrient & A ; imbibe exports is merely through score whiskey. This tells us the demand of the merchandise in the universe market. Hence SWRI tries to supervise and salvage the whole whiskey market of Scotland and universe excessively.
SCIENTIFIC & A ; RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
The research activities carried out by SWRI can be grouped under following classs:
Natural MATERIALS
Assorted research activities are carried out on the natural stuffs used in the whisky devising like Barley, Wheat, Cereals, Starch, and Yeast etc. Geneticss of all these natural stuffs are studied and besides there is research work traveling on the action of Endogenous enzymes produced from natural stuffs during processing.
Processing
The procedure of agitation and distillment are studied in deepness at SWRI and the whole whiskey devising procedure is made easier by implementing best methods and stuffs in the procedure. There is besides really much involvement about the flavour/Sensory facets of the whiskey and therefore on a regular basis the centripetal features of different whiskeies are studied in item at SWRI and work is traveling on to obtain best spirit for whiskey.
Apart from the above research, assorted countries like Maturation, Product Protection, Technical Support, Sustainability etc are besides studied a batch at SWRI and appropriate research is carried out to protect the originality of Scotch whiskey and to better the whole whiskey devising procedure.
ANALYTICAL EXPERTISE
A scope of analytical techniques & A ; specific methods are developed for whiskey & A ; other liquors. Its research work include
Authentic analysis
Flavour apprehension
Associating chemical and centripetal profiles
R
esearch is carried out on the Maturation & A ; Warehousing procedure every bit good so as to diminish the sum of intoxicant loss during ripening in Oak casks. SWRI is besides really acute in bettering both the Malt and Grain whisky procedure on the whole by developing perfect methods and stuffs to acquire optimal consequences. Minimum alcoholic strength of the whiskey must be 40 % and has to be made from, processed and matured for at least 3 old ages in the Scotland in order to be called it as a “ Scotch whiskey ” . The pot still design is really of import in Grain & A ; Malt whisky procedure because it finally affects the concluding merchandise by lending to the spirit of the whiskey.
Decision
Scotch whiskey has a really good repute worldwide for its gustatory sensation and quality that it offers and hence there is a demand to protect its trade name image. There is besides really much demand for the Scotch whiskey to prolong in a market where assorted extras to the Scotch whiskey are invariably made. There is a demand to place the originality of Scotch whiskey, thereby extinguishing the extra 1s. Besides attending must be paid to increase the production degree and to keep a low merchandise devising & A ; selling cost in order to run into the of all time turning demand to the Scotch whiskey worldwide.
Use of the genetically engineered strains of barm for the fast and enhanced agitation without changing the metabolic reactions must be considered in future for efficient whisky production. Amount of intoxicant lost during ripening in casks must be eliminated by altering the cask design and environmental conditions at storage. Finally I think it is the responsibility of SWRI and Scots authorities to protect the name and celebrity of score whiskey in the universe market and besides to better the procedure technically and economically to prolong in the hereafter planetary market in which score whiskey has got some one million millions of lbs concern to do.
Mentions
Scotch Whisky Research Institute [ online ] . Available from www.swri.co.uk [ accessed 05 January 2010 ]
Presentation by James Brosnan ( research director ) at SWRI on 21 October 2009.
