Annandale Distillery in Scotland has become the first distillery to use wasted wind power to heat its stills.  

As part of Annandale’s 12-step decarbonisation process, the producer commissioned a technology that converts renewable electricity into heat for the distilling process, replacing its use of gas completely.  

Other parts of the 12-step process include maturing whisky on site to reduce road miles, switching to electric vehicles where possible and exploring alternative waste-reuse options for spent grain and carbon dioxide. 

The new work has been completed by Exergy3, a clean heat technology company, with funding provided by the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, through its Net Zero Innovation Portfolio. It is also in partnership with manufacturer Cochran Limited. 

According to Exergy3, the project can deliver high temperatures between 50°C and 1,200°C, representing a breakthrough in the affordable decarbonisation of industrial heat.  

David Thomson, co-founder at Annandale Distillery, said: “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, CEO of Exergy3, added: “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.” 

Eric Daglish, contract manager at Cochran, furthered: “Across industry, we see growing interest in alternatives to fossil fuels as companies work towards their carbon reduction goals. 

“One of the biggest challenges has been finding solutions that are both practical and economically feasible, but this technology shows that it’s possible. We are proud to be part of a project that marks such a significant milestone for the wider decarbonisation of industry.”