Derek Alexander and Dr Daniel Rhodes (National Trust for Scotland, winners of Research Project of the Year 2025) - credit Adam Stanford, www.adam-stanford.co.uk
Derek Alexander and Dr Daniel Rhodes (National Trust for Scotland, winners of Research Project of the Year 2025) [Photo credit: Adam Stanford, www.adam-stanford.co.uk\]
A unique partnership between archaeologists and whisky distillers, investigating the illicit production of Scotland’s iconic spirit during the 18th and 19th centuries, has been crowned 2025’s Research Project of the Year in the prestigious Current Archaeology Awards.
In order to avoid tax, many small-scale whisky producers in 18th– and 19th-century Scotland went underground, moving to isolated bothies hidden in remote locations across the nation.
Since 2020, archaeological investigations have been hunting down the well-hidden remains of some of these sites, as well as excavating the location of the first legal whisky production centre in the Highlands: the original Glenlivet distillery in Speyside.
Spearheaded by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS), in partnership with The Glenlivet, the Pioneering Spirit project has brought an illicit industry to light once more, as well as illuminating the story of George Smith, a moonshine-maker who received the first license to distil whisky legally in Speyside in 1824.
This research has now been recognised with a prestigious archaeological award, after coming top in a public vote. The trophy was presented by Julian Richards, an archaeologist and educator best-known for presenting the BBC’s Meet the Ancestors, at the annual Current Archaeology Live! conference in London on 1 March. Held in partnership with the UCL Institute of Archaeology, this year’s event hosted a record audience, with at least 600 in attendance at UCL’s Institute of Education.
Accepting the award, ‘delighted’ NTS archaeologists Derek Alexander and Daniel Rhodes said: ‘It’s great to receive the award in recognition of what has been a fantastic project into a very important aspect of Scotland’s heritage. It means a lot to get the recognition from the wider archaeological community throughout the UK. Thanks are due to all the people and volunteers who have helped out with the project over the years and to everyone who voted for it.’
This year’s Research Project of the Year Award was sponsored by Wessex Insurance Brokers Ltd.
Notes for Editors: Current Archaeology Awards