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New Diageo distillery will be carbon neutral

Bulleit Bourbon owner Diageo’s new whiskey distillery in Kentucky will be the company’s first carbon-neutral site.

An artist’s impression of the finished ‘Diageo Lebanon Distillery’

The US$130 million distillery is currently being built in Lebanon, Kentucky, in the US, and will distil Bulleit alongside a variety of Bourbon and American whiskey brands. When it was first announced in 2018, it was expected the site would be operational by 2021.

The distillery will be powered by 100% renewable electricity and will have the capacity to produce up to 10 million proof gallons per year. It will use electrode boilers and a mix of renewable energy sources to power the 72,000-square-foot facility.

Perry Jones, president of North America supply for Diageo, said: “As a company we know our long-term sustainable growth depends on reducing our reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change.

“This ground-breaking undertaking to electrify our operations and then power them with renewable electricity will result in one of the largest carbon-neutral distilleries in North America.

“This is a significant step to strengthen our commitment to minimising our carbon emissions and will result in an important reduction of Diageo’s environmental impact on a global level.”

In order to be classed as carbon neutral, Diageo will implement a number of features to eliminate carbon emissions, saving more than 17,000 metric tonnes. Diageo said this was equal to removing more than 25,000 cars from the road for an entire year.

These features will include electric vehicles onsite, solar-powered exterior lighting, lower roofs to minimise heating and cooling needs, only activating warehouse lighting during loading and unloading activities and not sending any residual waste to landfill once operational.

Diageo has set itself a target of net-zero carbon emissions and to source 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

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