A major UK-backed innovation project has demonstrated how green hydrogen could play a transformative role in decarbonising one of the country’s most iconic industries: whisky production.

Supercritical Solutions Ltd has confirmed the successful completion of the WhiskHy project, a collaborative initiative with Suntory Global Spirits and the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), supported by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ).

The project explored the use of hydrogen as a direct-firing fuel in whisky distillation, alongside scaling up next-generation electrolyser technology designed to reduce the cost and complexity of hydrogen production.

At its core is Supercritical’s high-pressure electrolyser, which offers several advantages over conventional systems. These include a lower Levelised Cost of Hydrogen (LCOH), reduced reliance on multi-stage hydrogen compression, and improved reliability through the removal of membranes – typically a key failure point in electrolysers.

The WhiskHy programme formed part of the UK government’s £1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio and received £2.94 million in funding through the Green Distilleries Programme, aimed at accelerating decarbonisation across the spirits sector.

Two major technical milestones were achieved. The project delivered the first-ever direct-fired hydrogen-distilled spirit for whisky production, and successfully scaled Supercritical’s technology from laboratory testing to a multi-cell system suitable for industrial environments.

Trials carried out at Suntory Global Spirits’ Yamazaki Pilot Distillery in Japan demonstrated that hydrogen can safely replace natural gas in direct firing, with early assessments showing no notable difference in spirit quality. The finding suggests that emissions reductions could be achieved without compromising traditional production methods.

The project also enabled the development of Supercritical’s Teesside 1 demonstrator, which reached Technology Readiness Level 5 in 2024. The system achieved 95% of its operating comparator, indicating strong alignment between lab performance and real-world operation.

Teesside remains central to the company’s scale-up plans, reflecting the region’s growing role as a hub for energy transition technologies.

Luke Tan, Chief Product Officer at Supercritical, said:

"We are incredibly proud of what the WhiskHy partnership has achieved. 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."

Energy Minister Michael Shanks added:

“WhiskHy shows how British innovation and hard graft can turn the promise of clean technologies from the lab to the bar. 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 produced during the trials is now maturing, with results indicating that the process can deliver the same high-quality product expected from traditional methods.

Supercritical and Suntory Global Spirits have since signed a Memorandum of Understanding to continue exploring hydrogen applications in malt distilling, signalling further momentum toward low-carbon distilleries.

The project also marks a broader step forward for hydrogen deployment in industry. Following recent advances in power density and manufacturability, Supercritical is now moving from development into operational piloting, with a focus on supplying hydrogen directly to end users in high-demand sectors such as chemicals and fuels.

The company aims to address the nearly one billion tonnes of carbon dioxide emitted annually by these industries, supported by strategic investment from Shell and Toyota and a growing UK-based workforce.

Founded in London in 2020, Supercritical Solutions is developing high-pressure, ultra-efficient electrolysis technology designed to enable the transition from fossil-based to renewable hydrogen across industrial applications.