Nominee Summary
Born and bred in the Highlands, Peter Ranscombe has written about the countryside for 20 years as a journalist, from wildlife stories for The Times, Scotland Outdoors, and Scottish Wildlife Magazine, through to articles about the rural economy for Scottish Field, The Press & Journal, and Scottish Business Insider. His coverage of Scotland's thriving whisky sector has put rural distilleries in the spotlight for readers of Decanter, Cask & Still, and Whisky Magazine. He won a Wincott Award - Britain's equivalent of the Pulitzers - in 2022 for covering international themes from a rural perspective for The Press & Journal.
INSPIRATION: Climate change represents the biggest threat to rural Scotland – it affects every aspect of our lives, from where we can build much-needed affordable homes through to how we value the contribution that tree planting and other ecosystem services make to our rural economy. How we generate power is key to tackling climate change. I’ve written about the benefits and drawbacks of hydrogen and electrification for rural businesses many times for The Press & Journal, but I wanted to tackle the subject in a more consumer-friendly way and chose whisky distilleries as my examples. In this article, I share good news from distilleries including North Point in Caithness, Nc’nean in Morven, and Arbikie in Angus.
CHALLENGES: The biggest challenge is to explain complex subjects – such as the whisky production process and hydrogen generation – in simple yet accurate language. To do that, I need not only to understand the subject myself but also to ask challenging questions of my interviewees, giving them the opportunity to display their knowledge and paint the work of rural businesses in a positive light in the media. By speaking to lots of distilleries, I’ve challenged public perceptions that businesses in the rural sector are stuck in their ways – here, I demonstrate they’re trying new ways to generate the power they need.
IMPACT: Whisky Magazine’s combined print and online audience is more than 274,000 people, with 40% in the UK and Europe, 52% in the USA and Canada, and the rest spread throughout the world. My articles share positive stories about Scotland’s rural distilleries with this large global audience. I hope this article will also inspire change in the rural sector by encouraging distillers to think about their environmental impact.
INNOVATION: My innovative approach to communicating a message about rural Scotland involved targeting a magazine with an international readership. I’ve written regularly about the impacts of climate change for a Scottish audience in The Press & Journal and Scottish Field, but that’s preaching to the choir. Here, I’ve communicated positive news about how rural Scotland is tackling climate change to an international audience.
