A project by Pernod Ricard’s Chivas Brothers division to reduce energy use at one of its Scotch whisky distilleries has proved so successful, according to the company, that the unit is sharing the details publicly.
The trial, which has been running at Chivas’ Glentauchers distillery in Speyside since 2021, resulted in a 48% fall in the site’s total energy consumption. Centred around mechanical and thermo vapour recompression, the approach captures and recycles heat generated through distillation and has been funded by the Scottish Government.
The “design process and implementation insights” are free to access here.
“Heat recovery forms a critical part of our commitment to achieve carbon-neutral distillation by 2026,” said Chivas CEO Jean-Etienne Gourgues. “Findings with such significant impact must be shared; this technology has the potential to transform our industry and accelerate its progress to net zero.
“Understandably, this technology won’t be right for every distillery, but we encourage our peers to explore whether it has the potential to reduce their own carbon output.”
The division uses mechanical vapour recompression technology at two other distilleries – at Strathclyde, its largest, and Allt A’Bhainne – and has plans to extend this to “all viable” facilities by 2026.
