The world’s first spirit produced in stills directly fired by hydrogen has been transferred to Aberdeenshire for maturation.

A proportion of distilled spirit from a project which used 100% hydrogen to directly heat the stills at Yamazaki’s pilot distillery in Japan has been shipped to Glen Garioch Distillery, where it will be closely monitored and quality assessed under Scottish maturation conditions. A sister portion is being monitored in Japan, with the results to be analysed and compared as part of Suntory Global Spirits’ research into the results of hydrogen-fuelled distilling.

The project comes after the spirits giant, which owns Scotch whisky brands Bowmore and Laphroaig, received funding to carry out feasibility studies for green hydrogen-based decarbonisation technology from the UK Department for Energy Security & Net Zero in 2021.

Suntory said its pilot, carried out in partnership with Supercritical Solutions, proved that direct-fired distillation using 100% hydrogen is feasible. The two companies reinforced their commitment to decarbonisation with green hydrogen with the signing of a memorandum of understanding at Glen Garioch.

Read more:

Leveraging Supercritical's novel, high-efficiency electrolysis technology for low-cost green hydrogen production, the partnership will focus on commercialising hydrogen direct firing across Suntory Global Spirit’s Scotch portfolio. The two will pursue increased scale through deployment of Supercritical’s technology on a Suntory Global Spirits-owned distilleries in Scotland while continuing to monitor the quality of the hydrogen direct-fired spirit as it matures, a statement said.

Glen Garioch has undergone a £6 million renovation project in recent years to reinstate traditional malting floors and install its own direct-fired still. Owner Suntory declared it has an ambition to maintain direct-fire distilling at Glen Garioch in the future through introducing innovative, zero-emission fuel sources, such as hydrogen, while maintaining traditional whisky production processes.

Alistair Longwell, head of distilling and environment at Suntory Global Spirits, said: "As a company, we are committed to taking bold steps to advance green solutions and decarbonise our distilleries, while always ensuring that the quality of our spirits reach the highest possible standard. It is through unique collaborative projects such as WhiskHy that we are making significant steps towards our ambition of net-zero emissions across our entire value chain by 2040 while closely monitoring how our spirits age and mature under more sustainable distilling processes.”

Matt Bird, chief executive of Supercritical Solutions, noted: “At Supercritical, we’re proving that even centuries-old traditions like whisky distilling can embrace cutting-edge, zero-emission hydrogen technology. Our electrolyser’s unique ability to deliver high-purity hydrogen at 220 bar is rewriting the rules of sustainability – preserving the art of whisky-making while powering a net zero future. This partnership is a toast to innovation and the possibilities of a net-zero world.”

Climate Minister Kerry McCarthy MP added: “It’s innovations like these that will secure the future of our unique British industrial heritage – putting Scottish distilleries on the map with greener production and cutting-edge technology. This celebration marks a significant step towards decarbonising one of the UK’s largest and most important export sectors and highlights what’s possible when we invest in the clean energy transition.”