A Lowland distillery is claiming a world first in energy-saving spirit production by utilising new technology to provide the heat needed to distill whisky.
Annandale Distillery in Dumfries and Galloway has successfully launched a decarbonised heat project alongside Edinburgh-based clean energy company Exergy3 and industrial boiler maker Cochran.
In short, the new technology harnesses wind energy - the most abundant renewable energy source in Scotland - by using a specially designed modular system. This energy is then converted into thermal energy and stored at incredibly high temperatures, which in turn is later converted into hot air that can be discharged at temperatures ranging from 50°C to 1,200°C.
This green steam is delivered between 500°C and 600°C to heat the stills at Annandale. It is being considered a major breakthrough in the shift away from relying on fossil fuels in the whisky industry.
Co-founder Prof David Thomson said of the technology: “This is a first - not just for the whisky industry or Scotland, but globally. Heat-intensive industries like ours are under increasing pressure to decarbonise, and solutions that can deliver high-temperature heat without fossil fuels have been hard to find.
“The fact that it does so economically, while also helping tackle the rising costs of balancing the electricity system, makes it incredibly powerful.”
Markus Rondé, chief executive at Exergy3, also points out that the technology has incredible potential outside the whisky industry: “We are delighted to have partnered with Annandale Distillery to decarbonise one of Scotland’s most important exports and look forward to raising a toast with the very first low-carbon whisky of its kind.
“Beyond whisky, our solution could halve global industrial CO₂ emissions, while being cheaper than gas and reducing rapidly rising curtailment costs that are paid for by the consumer.”
Annandale hope to produce the world’s first low-carbon whisky. This recently installed and fully operational technology is just one part of their 12 step plan to help decarbonise the distillery’s operations. Other steps include reducing road miles by bottling onsite, using electric vehicles wherever possible, and exploring alternative uses for waste products such as carbon dioxide and spent grains.
However, Prof Thomson highlights that electricity costs are a concern when it comes to the new technology. He said: "The whole point [of the project] is it allows us to produce whisky with a much lower carbon impact. We are definitely pioneering."
"The only problem we have is the price of electricity is very high still. We have the highest electricity costs in Europe. Even though we can buy off-peak electricity very cheaply, once the green levy is added to it, it's very expensive.”
Even though the project at Annandale is supported by funding from the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero through its Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, such high operating costs may prove prohibitive to producers utilising this technology. Especially smaller distillers.
That said, technologies like this will no doubt prove essential if the wider whisky industry is to meet its own net-zero carbon emissions targets. The successful implementation of this technology will certainly be welcomed by the industry, since creating the high-temperature, high-pressure steam needed for production has proved to be one of the most difficult areas to decarbonise.
It has been estimated that industrial processes - including whisky production - account for 13% of Scotland’s carbon emissions. If it seriously wants to play a leading role in tackling climate change, then it is important that the Scotch whisky industry embraces new technology and bold projects like those happening at Annandale.
