Energy Efficiency
Announcements prior to September 2017, including this announcement, occurred under previous ownership.
27 October 2014
The project will finance the installation of a biomass boiler to replace the existing, heavy fuel oil boilers. This will reduce the distillery’s energy costs and its greenhouse gas emissions, without requiring any up-front capital investment from the distillery.
The boilers will be used to produce steam, necessary for several parts of the whisky production process.
The project is expected to save the same amount of greenhouse gas emissions as taking 2,265 cars off the road. As well as saving greenhouse gas emissions by switching from oil to biomass, the biomass boiler is anticipated to be 50% more energy efficient than the current oil-fired boilers.
Royal Brackla, run by John Dewar & Sons Ltd. - one of the most respected names in the world of Scotch whisky - was founded on the outskirts of Nairn in 1812. Since 1998, the distillery has been owned by Bacardi.
Earlier this year, GIB announced that it had made £5m available to fund energy efficiency projects at a number Scottish distilleries, via its fund manager Equitix. Half of this will come from GIB, with matched funding from private capital through the Equitix managed Equitix Energy Efficiency Fund. The project at Royal Brackla Distillery will be financed from this tranche of funding.
The Dewar’s Aberfeldy distillery in Perthshire, Balmenach distillery in Speyside and Tomatin distillery near Inverness have already taken advantage of the finance available and put in place energy efficiency measures. Tomatin distillery is on track to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by c. 80 per cent, and Aberfeldy distillery estimates that it will reduce its carbon footprint by up to 90 per cent.
Lord Smith of Kelvin
GIB’s Chairman
Iain Lochhead
Operations Director of John Dewar & Sons Royal Brackla distillery
Alistair Carmichael
The Secretary of State for Scotland, Alistair Carmichael
Geoff Jackson
Chief Executive Director, Equitix
Ernest Kidney
Managing Director, Balcas
Investors: The investment is being made by the Equitix-managed fund, Energy Saving Investments (ESI), in which GIB is the cornerstone investor, alongside the Equitix Energy Efficiency Fund (EEEF). The investment is in partnership with Balcas Limited (Balcas), a British SME and leading UK manufacturer of wood pellet biomass
Greenhouse gas savings: 101,196 tonnes over the project lifetime
Technology: 1 Vyncke 4 MW wood-fuelled boiler
Feedstock: Sustainably sourced wood pellet fuel. The pellets are manufactured by Balcas using renewable energy at their plant in Invergordon and raw materials sourced from local, sustainably managed forests.
Expected completion: 2015
Media enquiries
About ESI
The ESI fund forms part of GIB's allocation of investment into Non-Domestic Energy Efficiency (NDEE), one of its priority sectors. GIB awarded the competitive mandate to Equitix to invest £50 million, matched by private investors, to drive investment in small-scale low carbon infrastructure.
About Equitix
Equitix is a company established to deliver and manage infrastructure projects from bidding and closing through to construction and service provision. Its reputation is built upon strong relationships with its clients and partners, as well as a committed approach to every project in which they are involved and investment they make.
About Balcas
Balcas is the largest manufacturer of wood pellet fuel in the British Isles. It will supply the Royal Brackla distillery from its plant at Invergordon, Ross-shire. At Invergordon biomass is combusted in a Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, and the emerging steam is condensed to drive an electrical generator. The residual heat is used to reduce the moisture content of locally sourced woodfibre that is processed into high-energy fuel pellets. All of the electrical and thermal energy used in the process are therefore from renewable sources. Balcas' wood pellets that are marketed under the company's "brites" brand, providing energy to displace 100 million litres of oil per year, reducing carbon emissions by 300,000 tonnes.
About ROYAL BRACKLA® Single Malt Scotch Whisky
Founded in 1812 by Captain William Fraser, the ROYAL BRACKLA regal malt has a remarkable history. The distillery itself is over two centuries old and its malt’s nickname of ‘The King’s Own Whisky’ stems from its distinction as the first single malt to be granted a royal warrant. High-grade barley, flawless water from the Cawdor Burn and slow distillation produce a truly refined spirit, before it’s matured in the finest first-fill oloroso sherry casks. This rich, robust whisky offers muscovado sweetness, dates and walnuts within its opulent, sherried depths. To be releases in March, the brand new portfolio comprises of three ROYAL BRACKLA single malts: 12-year-old, 16-year-old and 21-year-old expressions. The single malt brand of ROYAL BRACKLA® is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.
For more information on the new single malt expressions, the distillery, tasting notes, crafting, and heritage, please visit the Last Great Malts website.