Heaven Hill Distillery, has announced the launch of a certification
sponsorship programme, in partnership with Independent Stave Company (ISC), creating
a collective of family-owned companies dedicated to the future of American whiskey.
As part of Heaven Hill’s corporate sustainability strategy
first announced in January 2021, conserving the ecosystems that support the
greater distilled industry and partners is a key priority.
Heaven Hill launches Logger Certification Programme |
A sustainable supply of white oak is critical to the future supply of American whiskey and the generations of loggers whose livelihoods depend on the trees.
In 2020, Heaven Hill and the ISC sponsored loggers to complete
sustainability certification through their state association logging programmes,
resulting in 120 certified loggers to date. As a core tenet of Heaven Hill’s
sustainability values, the cultivation of thriving communities placed a focus
on forestry management and an investment in education for those who first touch
the natural resources that create the barrels.
Much like the whiskey process from grain to glass, the
journey of an American white oak takes years of patience. From an acorn to a
tree ready for the cooperage, a span of 30-100 years may pass. The long-term
forest management is crucial to helping trees thrive, and cooperages rely on
the certified loggers to implement timber stand improvement, tree-felling and
general safety guidelines.
Commenting on the news, Rachel Nally, Heaven Hill Environmental
and Sustainability Manager, said: “A sustainable supply of white oak entails
relationships with the landowners, loggers, cooperages and the distilleries who
all rely on each other as good stewards of these natural resources. We often
consider the life of a barrel after the Whiskey is dumped, but it’s the
sustainable forestry management that enables us to start that lifecycle. Heaven
Hill’s partnership with Independent Stave Company to educate loggers is another
step in ensuring the future of the industry.”
Heaven Hill and the Independent Stave Company, will continue
to fund the certification sponsorship programme, to help create opportunities for
safer, smarter logging.
Posted by Steve Rush