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No 10: Prime Minister visits Diageo distillery to see how renewable energy is powering growth

07/06/2013

 

The Prime Minister shows his support for the renewable energy revolution powering Scotch whisky export growth.

 

The Prime Minister visits the Cameronbridge Distillery in Fife. Photo: Crown copyright.
The Prime Minister visits the Cameronbridge Distillery in Fife. Photo: Crown copyright.

 

The Prime Minister today visited the Cameronbridge Distillery in Fife, where drinks business Diageo recently completed a unique renewable energy facility. The facility powers the distillery by recycling the natural co-products of distillation, and is a flagship for Diageo’s ambition to drive environmentally sustainable growth.

Cameronbridge Distillery is a key part of Diageo’s Scotch whisky production business. Scotch represents one of the UK’s outstanding economic success stories, with industry exports generating £135-per-second for the UK balance of trade in 2012.

The Prime Minister said:

Whisky is an iconic product with a rich heritage and a fantastic future. It is a truly global brand.

It was a real pleasure to see the Cameronbridge Distillery. It is at the cutting edge of the spirits industry, a world leader in embracing bioenergy technology and a major contributor to Scotland’s economy.

All those who work there should be proud of what they produce.

During the visit to the distillery, the Prime Minister met a group of Diageo apprentices who work across a range of engineering, scientific and craft roles at the distillery. He also hammered the bung – a ceremonial tradition in the Scotch whisky industry – into a cask of single grain spirit produced using renewable energy from the bioenergy plant. The Prime Minister’s cask will now be laid down to mature for 10 years, with a pledge to auction it to raise money for environmental good causes in the future.

Read more about the visit on Diageo’s website.