Bunnahabhain Distillery takes home top Sustainability Award

Islay distillery, Bunnahabhain, has won the Sustainable Development of the Year Award at the Scottish Green Energy Awards for its Biomass Energy Centre.

Completed in 2022, this industry leading low carbon project is a model of good practice for sustainable whisky production in Scotland.

Funded and owned by AMP Clean Energy and developed, built and operated by Dallol Energy, the energy centre will result in the first Net Zero distillation process on Islay. It is fuelled with a mix of spent process malt (draff) and local woody biomass.

The clean burn biomass boiler is one of the cleanest systems in Europe and whisky’s first example of three zoned biomass combustion coupled with NOx reduction technology. It saves 5500 tonnes of carbon emissions a year, representing a reduction of 95% over oil.

It creates a new forest economy and employment on the island. The need for woody biomass fuel provides a local market for low value biomass that helps finance the export of premium sawlogs, a largely uneconomic prospect up to now. During construction, Islay contractors supplied the groundworks, civil engineering and most of the electrics. The plant manager is also an Islay resident.

The project has improved biodiversity and wildlife habitats through replanting unmanaged conifer forest with hard and soft wood and peat bog is restored to its natural state. Wood ash will be used as forest fertiliser creating circular sustainability. New planting is planned near the distillery helping achieve Scotland’s ambitious afforestation targets.

Angus Colquhoun, Technical & Compliance Manager for Distell said “Bunnahabhain Distillery are very proud to have been awarded the Sustainable Development of the Year award.  As an off-grid, island location, decarbonising our energy supply has been a very challenging ambition. With the support of AMP Clean Energy and the technical knowledge of Dallol, we have taken a huge leap towards our net-zero ambition and are delighted to be Islay’s first distillery to use renewably generated thermal energy.”

Mark Tarry, Chief Executive of AMP Clean Energy, said: “We are honoured to have supported Bunnahabhain in their trailblazing approach to sustainable whisky production. The flagship biomass energy centre at the Bunnahabhain distillery showcases how whisky producers can take control of their energy and meet ambitious net zero targets.”

The energy centre is a trail blazer for the whisky sector, on track to achieve net zero distillation 15 years ahead of the Scotch Whisky Association’s 2040 target. The project puts Islay firmly on the Scottish renewable energy sector’s carbon reduction map.

For more information on Bunnahabhain’s Biomass Energy Centre, please visit https://bunnahabhain.com/

About Bunnahabhain Distillery

Established in 1881 and situated on Islay’s most northerly point, Bunnahabhain is the island’s most remote distillery, overlooking a notorious passage of ocean known by seafarers as the sound of Islay. It has long established links to the sea, previously only accessible by boat – with ships loaded up daily before transporting their important whisky cargo back to the mainland for sale.

The word ‘Bunnahabhain’ is Gaelic for ‘mouth of the river’ referring to the Margadale River, its source of pure spring water which is distilled in the island’s tallest stills, creating the renowned malts. It’s the use of pure spring water that is piped to the distillery which gives it its unique light colouring setting it apart from other darker liquids on the Islay landscape. The distillery goes against the grain – quite literally – with a portfolio made up of broadly non-peated expressions.

Bunnahabhain’s Biomass Energy Centre

• First Net Zero distillation on Islay
• Saves 5500 tonnes of carbon emissions p/a: 95% saving over oil, equivalent to removing all road vehicles from Islay and Jura
• Creates new forest economy
• Improved biodiversity and wildlife habitats for red deer and sea eagles through peat bog restoration and replanting unmanaged conifer forest with managed mixed hard and softwood
• The 8000kg per hour steam system is one of the most efficient biomass systems anywhere in the UK.
• The biomass energy centre will produce more than 14,000,000kWh of steam energy each year, which is currently fuelled by fossil fuels.
• 5500kW 10.6 Bar.g Steam Boiler fuelled by draff (distillery by-product) and virgin forest residue manufactured by Agro Forst & Energietechnik GmbH of Austria.  It will utilise three combustion chambers and a high efficiency filter for enhanced emissions cleaning
• The system is fully compliant with the Medium Combustion Plant Directive which enforces strong air quality emissions compliance requirements.
• Main’s electricity is sourced from a renewable supply.

AMP Clean Energy

AMP Clean Energy is a distributed energy company focused on Net Zero customer solutions to decarbonise heat; and grid solutions to enable the decarbonisation of electricity which enable the growth of renewables. With 180 projects in operation, 100MW of biomass boilers owned or under construction and 168MW of flexible generation in operation, we have been helping organisations to become more sustainable since 2009.