44 the World Of Hospitality
Larkfire
Wild Water with Whisky:
New ‘Natural Chemistry’Mixer to Make a
Splash in the UK
Food & Drink
A new, canned ‘wild water’ will add an extra
splash of Scottish heritage to the whisky
industry – Larkfire takes naturally-sourced
water from centuries-old gneiss rock in the
Outer Hebrides to exclusive bars, restaurants
and hotels across the UK.
The high quality natural water – which has
the ability to enhance the flavour of whisky
– aims to appeal to scotch fans who prefer a
splash of H2O with their dram, and taps into
the growing trend of ‘premiumisation’ in the
drinks industry, where consumers take great
pride and care in the preparation of their
chosen drink, often prioritising quality above
quantity.
Larkfire is the only known canned water
specifically for whisky, and has been
developed by two whisky enthusiasts who
observed people drinking wild water from
streams in Scotland.
It will appeal to the expanding premium
whisky market, which sees 41 bottles of
scotch shipped every second, from Scotland
to importers around the world, totalling more
than 1.2bn bottles every year or around 30
billion servings.
A percentage of the sales from all Larkfire
water will flow back into the islands via an
agreement with The Stornoway Trust which
looks after 69,000 acres of land on the Isle of
Lewis from where the water is sourced.
The launch comes after two Swedish chemists
published a paper in the Scientific Reports
journal in 2017 to prove why whisky tastes
better when water is added.
Björn Karlsson and Ran Friedman’s research
revealed that adding water boosts the
concentration of flavour compounds at the
surface of the drink, helping to unleash the
rich mix of aromas.
Co-founder James McIntosh said: “Having
spent a lot of time in Scotland and its islands,
we saw time and again how locals would drink
wild water straight from the ground, then
back in Edinburgh and London we’re watching
people adding tap water to an expensive
scotch.