The Scotch Whisky Research Institute

​​​About SWRI

The Scotch Whisky Research Institute is the industry's Research & Technology Organisation. It is funded by its member companies, who together account for the majority of the industry.

SWRI’s main function is to carry out pre-competitive, fundamental and applied research across the entire Scotch Whisky production process, from barley to bottle. We also provide day-to-day technical support to our members and offer a range of analytical services.

Our primary area of expertise is Scotch Whisky, however many of our members have diverse portfolios and interests in other spirit drink categories. To reflect this, SWRI also carries out research and provides advice on other distilled spirits such as gin, rum, vodka, tequila and non-Scotch whiskeys.

We are based in purpose built laboratories with the specialised equipment required to carry out all aspects of spirit drinks research, including analytical chemistry, sensory evaluation and cereal science. Many of our analytical methods are accredited by UKAS (the United Kingdom Accreditation Service) and this underpinned by a rigorous quality system and participation in a number of analytical proficiency schemes.

SWRI was founded in 1974 and has been delivering innovation and scientific support to the industry for over 40 years.