Here’s to new kind of drink driving... a car run on whisky
IT IS not often that mixing whisky and driving is considered wise.
But Scotland’s national tipple has now been used to fuel a car, which has completed its first successful test drive.
Whisky residue is being touted as the next biofuel by Edinburgh-based Celtic Renewables Ltd.
Founder of the company Professor Martin Tangney was keen to tap into the wasted resources Scotland’s £5billion whisky distilleries produce.
‘Less than 10 per cent of what is produced goes into the final brew. By using something that’s already being made we’re seriously cutting down costs and environmental impact,’ he said.
Each year the malt whisky industry produces almost 750,000 tons of draff and
‘A real replacement for petrol’
two billion litres of pot ale, and Celtic Renewables plans to convert them into millions of litres of advanced biofuel.
Working closely with Tullibardine Distillery in Perthshire, Professor Tangney’s team decided to prove just how powerful whisky biofuel is by running a car on it.
He said: ‘This is the first time in history a car has been driven with a biofuel produced from whisky production residues. It is fitting to do this historic drive in Scotland, which is famous not just for its world-renowned whisky but also for being a powerhouse for renewable energy.
‘Celtic Renewables is playing its part in sustainability by taking this initiative from a research project at Edinburgh Napier University to what we believe will be a multi-billion-pound global business with the opportunity to turn transport green.
‘With the help of a mechanic we just poured biobutanol in. This is a real here and now replacement for petrol.’