Tomintoul Distillery has provided funding for new avalanche transceivers for the entire Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team (CMRT) as part of its ongoing role as the Official Spirit of the volunteer rescue service. The Speyside distillery has also confirmed a third consecutive year of support for the team, which operates across some of Scotland’s most hazardous terrain.
The transceivers are small devices designed to locate a rescuer buried beneath snowpack after an avalanche. In the Cairngorms, where volunteers regularly operate in darkness, storms and avalanche-prone zones, the technology is considered critical safety equipment.
CMRT deputy team leader Willie Anderson said the upgrade represents a significant boost to team safety. “Avalanche transceivers are a basic but lifesaving part of kit,” he said. “They give our volunteers an extra degree of safety when working in high risk conditions, dramatically speeding up our ability to find any of the team at risk.”
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READ THE STORYAnderson added: “Our volunteers regularly go out in the dark, in storms and in places where avalanches are a very real danger. These devices don’t just help us help others — they help us protect our own. Seconds really do save lives and Tomintoul’s support means we can operate in the mountains better protected and better prepared.”
The announcement of a third year of partnership coincides with the close of Tomintoul Distillery‘s 60th anniversary year. The distillery has been rooted in the Cairngorms for six decades.
Robert Fleming, master distiller at Tomintoul, said the partnership reflects a deep connection to the surrounding landscape and community. “Our surrounding landscape shapes our whisky — from the water and the climate to the mountain air,” he said. “But it’s the people who safeguard this place who truly inspire us.”
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Fleming continued: “Supporting CMRT isn’t just a sponsorship — it’s real, lifesaving impact on the ground. These volunteers go out in conditions most of us can barely imagine and we’re proud to stand with them as we enter our third year together.”
CMRT is one of the busiest mountain rescue teams in Scotland. Around 40 highly trained volunteers respond to callouts each year across the Northern Cairngorms, Ben Alder and the Monadhliath Mountains. The team relies heavily on donations and grants to maintain its kit, training and operational readiness.
