USA – Global beverage leader Diageo has announced that its new US$130m Kentucky whiskey distillery, currently under construction will be carbon neutral, one of the largest in North America and a first for the company.

The site expected to be fully operational in 2021 reflects Diageo’s commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions and moves the company closer to its goal of sourcing 100% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030.

Employing electrode boilers, the site will utilize a mix of renewable electricity sources to power a 72,000 square-foot distillery, dry house, and warehousing facilities, highlighted the company

“As a company we know that our long-term sustainable growth depends on reducing our reliance on fossil fuels that contribute to climate change,” said Perry Jones, President, North America Supply for Diageo.

“This is a significant step to strengthen our commitment to minimizing our carbon emissions and will result in an important reduction of Diageo’s environmental impact on a global level.”

Diageo broke ground for the construction of the US$130 million facility in June 2019 to have the capability to distil a variety of bourbon and American whiskey brands.

It is set to have a production capacity of up to 10 million proof gallons of whisky per year.

Bulleit will be the first and lead brand produced at the new distillery – supplementing existing production at The Bulleit Distilling Co. in Shelbyville, Kentucky.

“For Bulleit, our passion for sustainability began when we built the Bulleit Distilling Co. in Shelbyville, where we focus on reducing carbon emissions, water conservation and waste management during production,” said Sophie Kelly, SVP Whiskies, Diageo NA.

She revealed that when the company opened its Visitor Experience in Shelbyville, they chose to implement practices like eliminating single use plastics from its bar and sourcing locally-grown organic cocktail garnishes from their onsite garden.

“Our commitment to the environment evolves with the Lebanon distillery, where no fossil fuels will be consumed for the production of Bulleit. This allows us to really begin to double down on our ambition to reinvent category standards,” Sophie added.

To achieve carbon neutrality at the site, Diageo plans to incorporate a variety of features that will avoid annual carbon emissions by more than 117,000 metric tons. This is the equivalent of taking more than 25,000 cars off the road for an entire year.

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