Contact us

Select option
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
01
WhiskHy

Decarbonised Drams with Hydrogen

Enabling Scotch Whisky distilleries to produce and store hydrogen on site, drastically minimising any operational reliance on non-renewable fuels.

40%


smaller electrolyser

>15%


less energy

£1.59


/kgH2

606k


tonnes of CO2e industry decarbonisation opportunity

200bar


hydrogen storage

189x


less storage volume required than at ambient

Reviving traditions with green hydrogen

Zero emission H2 direct firing offers a unique opportunity to revive traditional practices that were once core to crafting Scotland’s world-renowned spirit. Over recent decades, the method of delivering heat in a distillery has become increasingly standardised with steam heating delivering reliable, consistent heat to the process. Until the 1950s / 1960s, most of the whisky was produced by direct coal firing.

As distilleries were modernised, this practice was largely replaced with indirect steam heating and with the introduction of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) in late 2002, this practice has been all but removed, with the exception of a handful of compliant, pressurised gas direct-fired stills.

This direct flame against the copper stills meant that the still and spirit saw a wide variety of temperatures creating conditions that cannot be produced with steam heating. It is a part of the process that is thought by many to offer a unique character and flavour to the finished product.

Reviving traditions with green hydrogen

Zero emission H2 direct firing offers a unique opportunity to revive traditional practices that were once core to crafting Scotland’s world-renowned spirit. Over recent decades, the method of delivering heat in a distillery has become increasingly standardised with steam heating delivering reliable, consistent heat to the process. Until the 1950s / 1960s, most of the whisky was produced by direct coal firing.

As distilleries were modernised, this practice was largely replaced with indirect steam heating and with the introduction of the Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations (DSEAR) in late 2002, this practice has been all but removed, with the exception of a handful of compliant, pressurised gas direct-fired stills.

This direct flame against the copper stills meant that the still and spirit saw a wide variety of temperatures creating conditions that cannot be produced with steam heating. It is a part of the process that is thought by many to offer a unique character and flavour to the finished product.

Net Zero Industrial Heat

Hard to abate sectors like cement, steel and others that use fossil fuels for heat today, Supercritical is developing innovative net-zero technology for sectors that
  • want high grade energy on demand
  • are a large energy consumer
  • have 24/7 operations, therefore seasonal variations in supply can NOT be tolerated
  • need the system response time to be directly comparable to existing systems
  • ideally need energy bills to be the same as their fossil fuel-based energy
  • benefit from high pressure hydrogen to minimise storage space on-site

Supercritical and Beam Suntory are fulfilling a second phase of the Green Distilleries Competition, supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Supercritical’s electrolyser will be tested outside the lab for the first time and Beam Suntory will trial direct fired distillation with hydrogen. WhiskHy is a project laden with world firsts!

the latest developments

Sign up to our mailing list and be one of the first to be notified when we have news to share.

By clicking Sign Up you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.