Volunteer mountain rescuers risking their lives to save others in the Cairngorms have been given a new layer of protection as part of their ongoing relationship with Tomintoul Distillery.
The Angus Dundee brand has been the Official Spirit of the Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team for three years now, helping to both fund and publicise the service.
Tomintoul’s most recent round of funding for the CMRT has enabled it to upgrade its avalanche safety kit with new transceivers for the entire team.
These small devices are designed to help in the worst-case scenario, when a rescuer themselves gets buried beneath the snowpack after an avalanche. In the Cairngorms, amongst some of Scotland’s most hazardous conditions, this position-marking technology could mean the difference between life and death.
CMRT deputy team leader, Willie Anderson, explained: “Avalanche transceivers are a basic but lifesaving part of kit. 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.
“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 Speyside distillery has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the CMRT, announcing a third consecutive year of support, as Tomintoul Distillery itself closes out its 60th anniversary year.
Master distiller Robert Fleming said: “Our surrounding landscape shapes our whisky – from the water and the climate to the mountain air. But it’s the people who safeguard this place who truly inspire us.
“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 remains one of the busiest mountain rescue teams in Scotland, with around 40 highly trained volunteers responding to many 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.
