Sustainability is not easily defined. Ask three people, and you’ll get three different definitions. From protecting the environment to supporting social and economic justice, the term sustainability is often viewed through a political lens. At a basic level, sustainability is about preventing the unnecessary depletion of natural resources. In business, however, the term is more than just a buzzword. It transcends marketing and has definite meaning.
Who cares about sustainability? In Kentucky, home to more than 95% of the world’s bourbon production, more than a few of us care. In fact, the industry employs more than 23,000 people who have a vested interest in safeguarding our signature spirit. From transformative waste-to-energy systems to regenerative agricultural practices, systems that capture and reuse heat within distilleries, reduction of wastewater, and barrel circularity projects, Kentucky’s distilleries are working hard to ensure bourbon production doesn’t hurt the environment.
To address these issues, major distillers like Brown-Forman, Diageo, Jim Beam, and Heaven Hill have partnered with Precision Conservation Management to promote regenerative farming practices on over 100,000 acres of corn fields. These practices, such as no-till and cover cropping, enhance soil health, reduce runoff, and increase resilience.
On the energy front, distilleries are adopting anaerobic digestion to convert stillage into renewable natural gas, thus, lowering emissions and creating a circular energy system. Some distilleries are also piloting hydrogen co-firing in boilers, a groundbreaking technology supported by the University of Kentucky’s Jim Beam Institute.
Water conservation and heat recovery systems are also helping reduce environmental impact during production, while initiatives like closed-loop water systems and heat reuse technologies increase efficiency.
Barrel sustainability is another key focus. Projects like Maker’s Mark’s white oak preservation program help protect the forests that supply bourbon barrels. Meanwhile, barrel reuse and upcycling contribute to circularity.
On November 17, 2023, for the first time in history, eight distilleries in the United States earned the Energy Star Rating by the Environmental Protection Agency. To achieve this certification, these distilleries implemented LED lighting, steam recovery systems, cooling-water reuse, and optimized insulation.
At Whiskey House, we’ve not only implemented these same programs, but we’re also going a step further in capturing and recirculating heat and energy throughout our manufacturing process. Soon, we will fully implement thermovapor recompression on our still. Along with our boiler stack economizers and several other technologies, we project using 40% less energy than the most efficient Energy Star Certified distilleries. Thanks to the hard work of Roger Henley, Vice President of Engineering & Technology, Joshua Marquis, Environmental Health & Safety Manager, and Jerry Hall, Senior Maintenance & Controls Manager, Whiskey House will be helping to lead the whiskey industry in sustainability.
For us, sustainability is not just good business, it’s about conservation.
Stay tuned . . . we have some very exciting announcements coming soon.
