Rosebank extends Celtic Renewables partnership
Why does this matter?
This demonstrates emerging biorefinery technology converting beverage by-products into valuable green chemicals, representing a sustainability innovation applicable across craft beverage production with significant waste reduction potential.
Highlights
Lowland distillery Rosebank has renewed its partnership with Scottish green chemical manufacturer Celtic Renewables for another three years. Under the agreement, whisky by-products from Rosebank Distillery in Falkirk, Scotland, are utilised to create bio-based green chemicals for use in various household products. Rosebank sends the pot ale by-product generated during distillation to Celtic Renewables' biorefinery in Grangemouth, which is less than four miles away from its distillery. The new agreement extends the existing three-year partnership between the two companies to 2029. Since the start of the partnership, Celtic Renewables has received more than 4,600 tonnes of whisky by-product from the few thousand casks produced in the revival of the Rosebank spirit. The biorefinery uses pot ale as a feedstock to produce 500 tonnes of bio-based chemicals each year at its commercial demonstration facility. By extracting value from whisky by-products, the process reduces the amount sent to animal feed or anaerobic digestion, where organic material is broken down into carbon dioxide and methane. Using pot ale from Rosebank, Celtic Renewables can produce green chemicals that achieve over 60% carbon savings compared to fossil-based alternatives. The bio-based chemicals can be used to manufacture thousands of everyday consumer goods, including skin moisturisers, household cleaning products, paint, and bike tyres. Bettina Brierley, chief commercial officer at Celtic Renewables, commented: "Ongoing local partnerships like the one we have with Rosebank are the foundation for Scotland's low-carbon green economy. "With more than 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 the local and regional level for a more sustainable circular way of life – a blueprint for the future green economy." Rosebank's parent company Ian Macleod Distillers regards the partnership as part of its broader commitment to sustainability across its entire portfolio of distilleries in Scotland. Other initiatives include exploring renewable energy to achieve carbon neutrality at its Edinburgh Gin distillery, creating wetlands at the Glengoyne Distillery estate, implementing wildlife protection measures at Tamdhu in Speyside, and supporting two environmental charities. Neil Bulloch, distillery manager at Rosebank Distillery, added: "Working with Celtic Renewables to take the pot ale by-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." Last month, Celtic Renewables secured more than £16 million (US$21.2 million) in funding from both public and private sources for the planning and construction of a new £120 million (US$159.3m) industrial-scale biorefinery in Grangemouth. In September 2025, Rosebank Distillery announced it would axe jobs due to low visitor numbers.
The Spirits Business
