GlenWyvis Distillery goes green!

GlenWyvis, located in Dingwall in the Highlands of Scotland is the world's first 100% community-owned whisky distillery, with a list of over 3,000 shareholders from the local Dingwall area and around the world. Small in size, GlenWyvis claims to be a 'craft' distillery; however, it is also distinguished by being entirely powered by green energy. The distillery sits on farmland owned by John Mckenzie, the founder and managing director of GlenWvyis. The farm has previously invested in renewable energy systems, which are now shared between the two businesses in exchange for draff, which is a byproduct from the distilling process and is used to feed the cattle on the farm. In addition, GlenWyvis has its own biomass boiler to provide steam for the stills. The following summarize the distillery's green credentials:

• Solar power - there are three different solar PV panel sections - two on the roof of the cattle shed and one on the ground. Together they produce 40kW. In addition, there is is a 3kW solar thermal panel on the roof of the GlenWyvis office building to provide hot water.
• Hydro scheme - a 12kW hydro dam, installed on the farm in 2010, sits at confluence of Tulloch Spring and the Dochcarty Burn (which is fed by the River Skiach).
• Biomass boilers - the GlenWyvis office currently gets its heat from a 30kW log biomass boiler in the farm building. The steam to heat the stills is provided by the distillery's own 500kW biomass boiler, which is powered by woodchip.
• Wind turbine - an 11kW Gaia wind turbine is located on the farm.
• The GlenWyvis company car is an EREV (extended range electric vehicle) that is charged on site and does 50 miles on a full charge.
• The distillery is investigating more battery storage to further improve its green credentials.

All electricity from wind, hydro and solar is fed into the farm power station where it is mixed and metered before going to the distillery. Excess power generated is fed back into the local grid.

The GlenWyvis name is an amalgamation of the lost distillery names Ben Wyvis and Glenskiach, both of which closed in 1926. On April 16, 2016 GlenWyvis launched its first crowdfunding campaign - its goal was to reach 1.5m British pounds, but actually raised 2.6m pounds. Construction began in January 2017, and was completed by November the same year. They have now opened a second share offering to raise additional funds to continue development.

According to Scotchwhisky.com, GlenWyvis is set up to produce "a 'Highland style' yet green, grassy newmake with long fermentations and plenty of copper contact. Maturation in first-fill and refill American oak will add a sweet roundness to the final whisky, while a proportion of Sherry-matured spirit will provide a richer depth."

Visit GlenWyvis.com for more information.