UK hydrogen technology company Supercritical Solutions Ltd has announced the completion of the WhiskHy project, which demonstrated the first-ever direct-fired hydrogen-distilled spirit for whisky production.

The project, a partnership with spirits company Suntory Global Spirits and the UK’s Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), used Supercritical’s electrolyser, helping to scale up the technology from the lab to a multi-cell system. Supercritical, which was set up in London in 2020, is developing high-pressure ultra-efficient electrolysis technology that minimises the need for multi-stage hydrogen compression and provides a steady supply of fuel thanks to the removal of membranes, the company explains.

The WhiskHy project was supported by a GBP-2.94-million (USD 3.89m/EUR 3.4m) award from the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ), which has now published a report on the project.