(London / Great Britain) – British company Supercritical Solutions Ltd has evaluated and completed the “WhiskHy” project. Together with Japanese spirits company Suntory Global Spirits and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), the company investigated the possibilities of distillation using hydrogen. The project was funded by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) with £2,94 million (€3,39 million).
Beam Suntory launched a hydrogen project in 2024 to produce whisky using the direct-fire method. © Beam Suntory Inc.
“This is an important milestone for green hydrogen and whisky,” the companies celebrated. Tests at Suntory Global Spirits’ Yamazaki pilot distillery in Japan have proven that hydrogen can “safely replace” the natural gas used previously as a direct fuel. A preliminary assessment shows “no significant difference” in spirit quality. “This is a significant step towards preserving traditional whisky-making techniques.” Supercritical electrolyzer technology has thus been scaled from the laboratory to industrial use.
As a direct result of this project, the demonstration plant in Teesside, UK, achieved a new "Technology Readiness Level" of 95 percent. This represents a near-perfect translation of the laboratory performance. Supercritical is now further expanding its plant there.
Technological development significantly accelerated
“The funding from DESNZ and the collaboration with Suntory Global Spirits and MTC have enabled us to accelerate our technological development by years,” says Luke Tan, Chief Product Officer at Supercritical. They have acquired “more than five times the initial government investment” in additional private funding and now employ over 40 specialists at their two locations in London and Teesside.
The world's first whisky produced using hydrogen is now being matured at the Glen Garioch distillery in Scotland to monitor and document its aging and quality. Supercritical and Suntory Global Spirits plan to conduct further research into the potential use of hydrogen as a means of decarbonizing malt distillation processes.
Photo above
Milestone: The first whisky distilled using green hydrogen is now maturing in a Scottish distillery. © Supercritical Solutions Ltd.
