It's not every day that a distillery plays host to the country's leader, but Diageo's Cameronbridge Distillery in Fife recently earned a visit by Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond for a pioneering green project taking place at the site.
Salmond took a trip to a building site in the shadows of the existing distillery on which a £65m investment by Diageo will eventually place a state-of-the-art green facility. Cameronbridge produces products that are vital components of brands including Johnnie Walker, Bell's, Gordon's and Smirnoff. The facility will allow the drinks giant to market these brands as better for the planet - a powerful proposition as consumers become more interested in the green agenda.
This new piece of kit, due for completion in summer 2010, will reduce annual CO2 emissions at the site by approximately 56,000 tonnes - equivalent to taking 44,000 family cars off the road. It is believed to represent the largest single investment in renewable technology by a company outside of the utilities industry in the UK.
The process involves spent wash - a mixture of wheat, malted barley, yeast and water produced during distillation - being separated into liquid and dried solids. The liquid is converted, via a process known as anaerobic digestion, into biogas. The dried solids form another fuel source.
Around 90,000 tonnes of co-products, which would otherwise have required transport by road for disposal, will be turned into energy in the form of electricity and steam for use at Cameronbridge.
Ninety-eight per cent of the thermal steam and 80 per cent of electricity used at the distillery will be provided by the technology. The new facility will also recover almost a third of the site's water requirements.
Bryan Donaghey, Diageo Scotland managing director, said: "This will be a showcase bioenergy facility which harnesses a variety of green technologies in a project of an unprecedented scale.
"It is without doubt the right way forward in terms of environmental benefits and secures the long-term sustainability of our operation, moving the site away from reliance on fossil fuels."
The first minister said: "Diageo's supply of cleaner, greener energy secures a prosperous and sustainable future for the company in Scotland."
Other pub trade green projects
• Adnams spent well over £10m re-inventing its brewing and logistics infrastructures. The brewhouse captures 100 per cent of steam to heat 90 per cent of the following brew
• JD Wetherspoon last year trumpeted the opening of a £3m eco-pub, the Kettleby Cross in Leicestershire, but later ruled out further such efforts as prohibitively expensive
• St Austell has set itself a target of cutting its carbon emissions by a third by 2013. Initiatives include installing energy-efficient lighting throughout the group's 168-strong pub estate.