The partners on a pilot project for carbon-saving fertiliser have hailed a move towards creating "greener" whisky.

It involves innovative low-carbon fertiliser which it is claimed has the potential to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions created in the growing of barley and wheat for whisky production by up to 20%.

Chivas Brothers, the Pernod Ricard business dedicated to Scotch whisky and makers of Chivas Regal and Ballantine’s, along with its distilling wheat supplier, Simpsons Malt Limited, have announced investment in low-carbon fertiliser created by OCI Global, a market-leading fertiliser company.

A select number of farmers in the Chivas Brothers Wheat Growers Group, who provide the wheat which is grown specifically for the distilling of many of the Scotch producer’s blended whiskies, are currently trialling the low-carbon calcium ammonium nitrate fertiliser, Nutramon Low Carbon.

This is part of an exclusive agreement between OCI Global and Simpsons Malt Limited’s agricultural merchanting division, McCreath Simpson & Prentice.

It is produced using "certified bio-gas and is estimated to have a reduced production carbon footprint of up to 50% compared to conventionally produced fertilisers (cradle-to-gate)".

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It is claimed that while the composition and effectiveness of Nutramon Low Carbon is equal to conventional fertiliser, use of this lower-carbon alternative ultimately equates to a 15-20% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the barley and wheat grown for distilling. 

The trial is the latest milestone in Chivas Brothers’ ambition to create a sustainable future for whisky and reduce its indirect carbon footprint, it said. With approximately a third of Chivas Brothers’ carbon footprint resulting from growing and processing raw materials such as barley and wheat grown for distilling, tackling the emissions created in their growth is a vital step towards reducing the environmental impact of the production of whisky.

The farmers will harvest crops involved in the pilot from now until October, with the wheat and malted barley to be used in the production of Chivas Brothers’ Ballantine’s blended Scotch.

Once the impact of the trial has been assessed, Chivas Brothers will be looking at how the use of biobased fertiliser more widely could contribute to reducing carbon emissions from its supply chain.

Chivas Brothers and Simpsons Malt Limited will “in time seek to move toward broader use of green fertiliser”, including those using green ammonia produced by electrolysis with renewable electricity leveraging on cooperation with OCI Global’s low carbon ammonia portfolio. This process creates up to 90% less carbon emissions than traditional fertilisers.

Ronald Daalmans, sustainability director at Chivas Brothers, said: “We’re on a mission to reduce carbon emissions throughout our supply chain and that requires us to be at the forefront of new innovations that come to market. We cannot do this alone, which is why likeminded partners such as Simpsons Malt Limited and OCI Global are so important to helping us realise this ambition.”

Andy Hindhaugh, commercial director at Simpsons Malt Limited said that “we are not only enhancing the sustainability of our supply chain but also contributing to a greener future for the whisky industry”.

Aviv Bar Tal, vice president commercial Nitrogen at OCI Global, said: “Through its low-carbon portfolio, OCI Global aims to reduce the carbon footprint of the global food production chain.”