A man is incomplete without a woman holding his hand for life. Sure, this is romantic but let me tell you, a fine woman may be the hibiscus of a man’s heart but she can never be the whiskey of his wardrobe. Not making a sexist statement, all I mean is, when you want to get tipsy, prefer whiskey over a woman. Because my friend, waking up with hangover is far better than waking up in love!
Alcohol is good but it is equally important that the spirit you are boozing on doesn’t affect the environment in a negative way. There is no ban on getting high but we must be grounded to the fact that the production of alcohol leaves a large carbon footprint. For the sake of nature, you don’t need to give up on alcohol altogether; rather switch to the spirits from these five sustainable distilleries doing their bit for the environment.
Montanya Distillery, Colorado, United States
Alcohol industry is mostly dominated by distilleries operated by men. Going against the grain, Montanya rum is a female-owned sustainable distillery that is not just breaking the taboos by challenging the societal norms of a men-run business but also offering sustainable products. Located in the Rocky Mountains, the distillery is wind-powered. Furthermore, Montanya has also been using water from a snowmelt-fed aquifer underneath the distillery. As a growing international rum company, it counterbalances the carbon footprint with 110 percent offsets.
Copper King Herb Gin Distillery, North Yorkshire, England
North Yorkshire’s Cooper King Distillery is one of the leading names driving a transformation to sustainable spirits. It has employed multiple sustainable practices in its production process to focus on sustainability goals. Running on 100 percent green energy, Cooper King uses vacuum stills to reduce energy use and save water. The distillery also focuses on planting one-square meter of native UK woodland to offset the small number of emissions. In addition, the ingredients used for making the gin are sourced locally and sold in plastic-free packaging.
Belgrove Distillery, Tasmania, Australia
From Yorkshire, we go all the way to land down under to the Belgrove Distillery. And trust me, they do not disappoint with their Belgrove whiskey. The distillery produces Australia’s first and finest rye whisky. The distillery is the epitome of closed-loop whisky operation. The whiskey is made with 100 percent rye corn, grown on-site reducing the carbon footprint that could have been caused while transporting rye from some other place. The distillery features a copper pot, which is direct-fired with biofuel made from cooking oil. Not just this, the tractors and the hot water, everything is powered by biofuel.
MarbleDistilling, Colorado, USA
The distillery is indeed a true testament to just how sustainable liquor can be. Nestled at the base of the Elk Mountains is the Marble Distilling company which is known for producing the finest whiskey and vodka. The company follows an eco-friendly approach in making its products. Built on models of sustainability, it is a zero-waste distillery, which recaptures 100 percent of its process water.
Furthermore, the distillery also reuses the energy harvested from the distillation process to heat up its facility. Marble Distilling tout to save around 4 million gallons of water and 14,000lbs of energy every year. The grain used is locally sourced thus decreasing carbon footprint. The company has also designed a Water Energy Thermal System (WETS) to capture and reuse the water and heat generated in the distilling process.
Nc’Nean Distillery, Scotland
Nc’Nean is an independent, organic Scotch whisky distillery that is officially verified as a net-zero distillery. It stands as a true pioneer of sustainable distilling practice and uses recycled and biodegradable packaging for selling its scotch. The company’s commitment to sustainability is very remarkable as it uses 100 percent renewable energy and offsets the small number of emissions with a planting drive. The water used in making whiskey comes from a spring in the vicinity.
