Ahascragh Distillery has won the Greener Planet award at The Foodies 2024.
The awards are a European celebration of sustainability achievement honours small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) excelling in the food and drink sector’s sustainability efforts.
The Greener Planet category recognises SMEs for their outstanding dedication to reducing environmental impact through innovation, sustainable practices, or charitable commitments.
The Galway distillery was recognised for its visionary approach to sustainable distilling, incorporating renewable energy solutions, eco-conscious sourcing, and innovative practices that have significantly reduced its carbon footprint.
It aims to maintain zero energy emissions through a novel means of thermal storage, combined with optimal heat recovery, recycling energy that would normally go unused.
The innovative system reaches temperatures above 115° – which is a first in Ireland and the UK.
This allows the distillery to achieve a saving of 1,690 tonnes of CO2 per year with a 40% reduction in cost over an expected lifetime of 20 years.
Water input and output is also …