Celtic Renewables extends circular partnership with Rosebank Distillery

Scottish green chemical producer Celtic Renewables has renewed its partnership with the independent ultra-premium whisky distillery Rosebank, part of Ian Macleod Distillers, for another three years.
The partnership will see Rosebank Distillery in Falkirk send the pot ale by-product produced during its distilling process to the Celtic Renewables biorefinery located less than four miles away at Grangemouth.
The new agreement extends the existing three-year partnership between the companies, during which Celtic Renewables received over 4600 tonnes of whisky by-product from the few thousand casks created in the production of the reawakened Rosebank spirit.
Celtic Renewables uses pot ale as a feedstock to produce 500 tonnes of bio-based chemicals annually at its commercial demonstrator facility. Using pot ale extracts value from the whisky by-products and reduces the amount sent to animal feed or anaerobic digestion, the process by which organic material is broken down into CO2 and methane.
Commenting on the partnership, Bettina Brierley, Chief Commercial Officer at Celtic Renewables, said, “Ongoing local partnerships like the one we have with Rosebank are the foundation for Scotland’s low-carbon green economy.
“With over four million tonnes of pot ale and stillage produced in Scotland annually, our efforts in Grangemouth are just the beginning, and the room for growth in the low-carbon industry is huge.
“Our work with Rosebank Distillery showcases the ability of companies to work together in innovative ways at local and regional level for a more sustainable circular way of life – a blueprint for the future green economy.”
Neil Bulloch, Distillery Manager at Rosebank Distillery, said: “Working with Celtic Renewables to take the pot ale bi-product from Rosebank and create natural bio-chemicals for household use is part of our broader plan to sustainably manage our solid and liquid waste across our distilleries and to reduce the environmental impact of our operations.
“The proximity of Grangemouth to the Rosebank Distillery in Falkirk also reduces the impact of transportation and supports our local community in Falkirk.”