Diageo has
opened its first carbon neutral whiskey
distillery in North America, the new
distillery will produce Bulleit bourbon
whiskey as its first and lead brand.
Diageo has opened its first carbon
neutral whiskey distillery in North
America, located at Lebanon, Kentucky,
the new distillery will produce Bulleit
bourbon whiskey as its first and lead
brand using 100% renewable
electricity, zero fossil fuels for
production and virtual metering
technology, reflecting Diageo's ongoing
commitment to become net-zero carbon
across direct operations by 2030.
The new distillery will support the
local community with 30 full-time jobs
while also sourcing 100% non-genetically
modified organism corn locally. The
large 72,000 square-foot distillery and
dry house and 12 barrel warehouses has
the capacity to produce up to 10 million
proof gallons per year and has begun
distilling Bulleit Bourbon using
electrode boilers that are powered by
100% renewable electricity throughout
the cooking, distillation, and dry house
processes. Bulleit is the first and lead
brand being produced at the Lebanon
Distillery –and supplements existing
production at the nearby Bulleit
Distilling Co. in Shelbyville, Kentucky.
Designed with sustainability at its
core, the distillery is built to ensure
that fossil fuels are not used during
production. By partnering with
Inter-County Energy and East Kentucky
Power Cooperative (EKPC), we are
sourcing a mix of wind and solar energy
to power the electrode boilers, onsite
electric vehicles, internal and external
lighting and equipment making the
facility one of the largest of its kind
in North America. The site has
implemented virtual metering technology
to advance visibility of water,
electricity, and steam usage, collecting
key data that is used to drive the
company’s resource efficiency and
sustainability. These technologies will
allow the distillery to avoid
approximately more than 117,000 metric
tons of carbon emissions annually, the
equivalent of taking more than 25,000
cars off the road for a year.
Perry Jones, President, North America
Supply for Diageo commented: "Two years
ago, we set a vision and commitment to
build our first carbon neutral
distillery in North America. Now that
the Diageo Lebanon Distillery is
operational, I’m incredibly proud of the
innovative actions from our teams and
partners to fully electrify the
facilities and power them with renewable
electricity. This is a significant step
in our journey to create a low carbon
future and be part of the solution to
tackle the ongoing climate crisis."
In addition to the sustainability
features of the new facility, Diageo has
implemented an optimized staffing model
consisting of Bourbon Production Experts
(BPE’s) responsible for all aspects of
distillery, dry house, and operations.
By rotating the BPE’s through each
operational area to ensure depth of
knowledge and flexibility, they aim to
accelerate the development of future
leaders, ensuring a focus on gender
equity and diversity to help shape the
industry.
Sophie Kelly, SVP Whiskies, Diageo NA
commented: "At Bulleit, we believe we
have a responsibility to our
environment, our communities, and our
planet. We are proud to initiate the
production of Bulleit Bourbon at the
carbon neutral Lebanon Distillery, as we
take a significant step forward in the
brand’s long-lasting commitment to
sustainability."
