This Distillery Is Experimenting With Aluminum Whisky Bottles

In recent years, some wineries have shifted from decanting their wines into glass bottles to using a metal alternative. In a 2025 article for The Drinks Business, Sarah Neish pointed to multiple wineries making the shift from glass to aluminum, touting both the material’s environmental friendliness, the ease with which it can be cooled and its ability to keep wine fresh. Is it any wonder, then, that some distilleries are asking themselves similar questions?

Writing at The Guardian, Severin Carrell reported on Stirling Distillery‘s recent exploration of using aluminum bottles for its whisky. Stirling Distillery is a relatively recent addition to Scotland’s whisky landscape, and their first single malt is not scheduled until next year. But as The Guardian reports, the distillery is in search of ways to be more environmentally friendly — and one of those involves metal bottles.

Stirling Distillery is currently working with researchers at Heriot-Watt University to test if aluminum bottles can be used safely. As Carrell reports, one type of bottle did not hold up well, with scientists at the university finding particles of aluminum in the whisky. For now, the testing continues.

“The big question is: is there a commercially available aluminium can that has a liner that can handle whisky-strength spirits?” Heriot-Watt University’s Dr. Dave Ellis told The Guardian. (He was unsure of the answer.) If there is a way to find an aluminum bottle that is both safe and has no ill effects on the whisky’s flavor, it could have significant effects for the young distillery.

In 2024, Scotch Whisky Exports Were Up. But Their Value Was Down.

Changes are afoot in markets across the world

There is something welcoming about being able to look at a whisky bottle and getting a sense of the liquid inside. Then again, some distilleries have opted against transparent bottles; opting for a distinctive and opaque bottle design for many of their offerings has worked out pretty well for Bruichladdich, for instance. So if you do pass a bottle of Stirling Distillery’s whisky in the near future, keep an eye on what it’s packaged in — you might be getting a glimpse of the future.

Meet your guide

Tobias Carroll

Tobias Carroll lives and writes in New York City, and has been covering a wide variety of subjects — including (but not limited to) books, soccer and drinks — for many years. His writing has been published by the likes of the Los Angeles Times, Pitchfork, Literary Hub, Vulture, Punch, the New York Times and Men’s Journal. At InsideHook, he has…