Supercritical produces hydrogen-distilled whisky

The project leveraged Supercritical’s game-changing electrolyser, which offers a unique set of advantages over traditional systems including lower Levelised Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH); minimising the need for multi-stage hydrogen compression; and a steady, reliable supply of fuel thanks to the removal of membranes, a frequent point of ‘cliff-edge’ failure in electrolysers.

The WhiskHy project was supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). Funded by a £2.94 million award as part of the UK government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP), the Green Distilleries Programme supported innovation targeted at helping the distilleries sector decarbonise.

The WhiskHy project demonstrates two key achievements: the first-ever direct-fired hydrogen-distilled spirit for whisky production and the scale-up of Supercritical’s technology from the lab to a multi-cell system. Trials conducted at Suntory Global Spirits’ Yamazaki Pilot Distillery in Japan proved that hydrogen can safely replace natural gas as a direct-firing fuel, with a preliminary assessment showing no notable difference in spirit quality. This represents a significant stride toward preserving traditional whisky-making techniques while achieving net-zero ambitions.

The government-backed project provided the critical platform to scale Supercritical’s ultra-efficient electrolyser technology from a lab-based curiosity to being validated in an industrial environment whilst ensuring its manufacturability. The Teesside 1 (TS1) demonstrator, a direct result of this project, achieved an impressive TRL 5 (Technology Readiness Level) in 2024 which showed a near-perfect translation of lab performance, achieving 95% of its operating comparator. Supercritical continues to advance its dedicated demonstration unit in Teesside, UK, which remains the country’s hub for energy transition and where Supercritical continues to grow its team of highly skilled workers in the industry.

"We are incredibly proud of what the WhiskHy partnership has achieved," said Luke Tan, Chief Product Officer at Supercritical. "The funding from DESNZ and the collaboration with Suntory Global Spirits and MTC allowed us to accelerate our technology development by years. HM Gov cannot underestimate the value that their support offers novel technologies. We’ve now secured more than 5x their original government investment from private markets and employ over 40 highly skilled people in the UK across our two sites in London and Teesside. Poised to deliver to a global market, generating significant value from wherever we operate, we hope the UK continues its support of innovation and the green hydrogen sector.’

“WhiskHy shows how British innovation and hard graft can turn the promise of clean technologies from the lab to the bar,” said Energy Minister Michael Shanks. “While it might be some time before we can raise a hydrogen produced glass of whisky, this world first shows how the drinks sector can cut emissions, while keeping spirits high and growing the economy.”

The hydrogen fired whisky created from this partnership is now maturing and has proven that this method can deliver the same high quality product. The collaboration between Supercritical and Suntory Global Spirits is set to continue and further pave the way for green distilleries. The two partners have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to pursue further investigations into the potential use of hydrogen as a means to decarbonise malt distilling processes.

Following a year of significant technical advancements, including increased power density and enhanced manufacturability of its high-pressure electrolyser, Supercritical is transitioning from development to operational piloting to deliver hydrogen directly to end users. By targeting the high-demand chemical and fuel sectors, the company aims to drastically reduce the nearly one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted annually by these industries. This de-risked pathway to commercialisation is supported by strategic investments from industry giants Shell and Toyota, alongside a rapidly expanding team dedicated to decarbonising the world's most challenging industrial sectors.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/18032026/supercritical-produces-hydrogen-distilled-whisky/