FUEL FOR THE FIRE
The spirits industry has a tendency to romanticise, if not outright fetishise, traditional distillation in copper pot stills. An inherently energy-heavy process, with high temperature required at its heart, the use of gas-fired alembic stills is both inefficient and incredibly carbon intensive: The Beverage Industry Environmental Roundtable’s Research on the Carbon Footprint of Spirits (2012) estimates that emissions from energy use for pot distillation account for approximately 40 per cent of the carbon footprint of a bottle of spirit.
Reducing energy use and dependence on fossil fuels is, therefore, both the economic and responsible thing to do. Not only will environmentally aware consumers demand such change, but a comprehensive sustainability plan can help attract capital investment. Furthermore, with a growing global commitment to reach net zero by 2050, increasingly stringent industry regulations – including mandatory carbon reporting – are
