As the climate emergency intensifies, and awareness grows of its implications, many distillers are becoming more mindful of their resource consumption—and some are making sustainability pledges aimed at better environmental stewardship.
In some cases, distilleries are taking steps to reimagine their processes and make their entire operations more sustainable from the ground up. This sometimes involves obtaining green-building certifications, such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) ratings or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star. Other types of certifications that distilleries can pursue include organic certification and verification of net zero carbon emissions.
Investment and Patience at Maker’s Mark
LEED is the world's most widely used green-building rating system, and its certification is a symbol of achievement in sustainability, providing a framework for high efficiency and cost savings. One distillery that’s been through the LEED certification process is Maker’s Mark in Loretto, Kentucky. In 2019, the brand’s cellar obtained LEED certification. The cellar has a vegetative roof, with native plants that provide a wildlife habitat and protection from day-to-night temperature fluctuations, naturally cooling the cellar and reducing energy usage.
“Not only are the aesthetics of it pleasing, but it’s a representation of how we practice and how we work,” says Kim Harmon, general manager at Maker’s Mark.
Plus, the distillery is currently in the final submission process of obtaining a LEED Gold certification for its lakeside tasting room. “There’s a lot of documentation,” Harmon says. She explains it can take more than two years to complete, from the completion of the building to having the LEED certification finalized. Regulations are tight, and all work must be verified. For example, she says that simply talking about their plans for a solar array was not enough. “We had to show them the contract and let legal review that contract, showing that we are committed,” Harmon says.
Because of all these steps, she says, it’s easier to pursue LEED certification if it’s planned from the start rather than adding it later. “I admire those that take existing facilities and are able to turn those around into a LEED-certified,” Harmon says. “We have only ever pursued new construction.”
Looking at the big picture is important. The LEED-certified cellar is just one part of the brand’s environmental efforts, which also include solar-powered warehouses and a distillery-wide zero-landfill initiative. And as well as being great for the environment, LEED-certified buildings can be nicer places for staff to work, with a focus on natural light and better air quality. “I firmly believe that [natural light] impacts your mood, morale, all of that,” Harmon says.
Although getting LEED certification takes time, Harmon says it’s ultimately worthwhile as part of the brand’s sustainability objectives—part of their mission to put nature at the heart of what they do.
“If you’re going to do it the right way, it’s going to take time,” she says. “In the long run, it pays off.”
Photo: Courtesy Rabbit Hole Distillery
Bit by Bit, Greater Efficiency at Rabbit Hole
In nearby Louisville, Rabbit Hole Distillery is making strides in on-site efficiencies. This year, the EPA recognized Rabbit Hole as one of the first eight distilleries to earn the EPA’s Energy Star certification for superior energy performance.
Distilleries that earn the Energy Star certification use significantly less energy than many peers, and they contribute fewer greenhouse-gas emissions. Those seeking the certification use the Distilled Spirits Energy Performance Indicator to benchmark energy performance.
A distiller inputs historical production and energy usage data into a calculator to receive their energy efficiency score. “Subsequent to that, there is another on-site verification process that has to happen,” says Rabbit Hole’s founder and whiskey maker Kaveh Zamanian. A certified professional engineer conducts this verification. For Rabbit Hole, the certification process took about six months.
The certification dovetails with the distillery’s overall sustainability goals, to achieve more with less energy and to consume less water. In terms of the distillery team’s day-to-day operations, Zamanian says that the changes are not huge—but there are some subtle, small adjustments. “We’re reducing the use of steam, for example, when it comes to the mashing process.” They also lowered the temperature in the distillation column. Such changes call for a recalibration of systems and automation, but once this is in place and programmed, it’s not a heavy lift. “From a day-to-day standpoint, it’s not going to be a huge impact,” Zamanian says.
The EPA worked with the distilled-spirits industry to develop the Energy Performance Indicator (EPI), which distilleries can use to benchmark energy performance on a scale of 1 to 100. The EPI adjusts for the size of the distillery, climate, percentage of purchased spirits, and percentage of by-products where moisture is removed. This allows for fair comparisons among distilleries. A distillery that earns 75 or higher is eligible to earn Energy Star certification.
Commitment at Nc’nean
Meanwhile, in Scotland, the organic whisky distillery Nc’nean launched at the outset based on a vision of being environmentally sustainable. Founder and CEO Annabel Thomas started raising funds and building the distillery in 2013; the goal was to change how people think about whisky from Scotland.
“It felt like a lot of the Scottish distilleries were saying they were doing things the way they had always been done,” Thomas says. This applied both to the product going into bottles and to a broader emphasis on tradition. She says that a shift toward more sustainable production techniques was lacking, and she wanted to be part of a change.
For new distilleries, money is the main issue. Thomas started by focusing on the big things; she cites renewable energy as a key consideration, particularly given the distillery’s location. With sustainability, “there’s no one-size-fits-all,” Thomas says. “There’s no one right answer.” Instead, the measures need to work for the distillery’s particular location and situation. “We’re kind of almost off-grid,” she says. The distillery has electricity coming to it, but no gas; while oil deliveries were possible, it was an unattractive proposition. They opted for a biomass boiler that uses local wood chips. New trees are planted for those that are harvested.
A commitment to sustainable operations can impact what’s needed from a distillery team and how training must be handled. On the energy side, Thomas says, the approach does make life more complicated for Nc’nean. “We’re in such a remote place, we have to do everything ourselves. All but one of our distillers are also trained as a woodchipper … that’s a huge investment in training.” Plus, the biomass boiler requires more TLC than an oil or gas boiler.
The distillery works with Environmental Strategies Limited, a company that consults on environmental and energy management, to certify its carbon footprint. Thomas describes the process as relatively straightforward—akin to an accountancy audit—where sending off pre-gathered data is the main element.
Conversely, the organic certification takes more resources. Nc’nean’s organic barley has a carbon footprint that’s 42 percent lower than conventional barley. “The admin and the red tape associated with being certified organic is really, really significant,” Thomas says. The audit is time-consuming, as is the ongoing recordkeeping. So is the preparation for an annual inspection by the Biodynamic Association, which inspects the distillery to ensure that it conforms to organic standards.
Pursuing and maintaining such certifications can be a time drain, and that can be tough on a small team. “There’s less give in a small business,” Thomas says. “These things can’t be absorbed as easily as they can into a big corporate [one].”
Nonetheless, like Harmon and Zamanian, Thomas is firmly committed to the measures that help the distillery take better care of the environment. “I don’t want to overegg how big a deal it is,” Thomas says. “It’s the right decision to have made.”