From Earth To Bottle And Back Again...

From Earth To Bottle, and Back Again…

The concept of creating a carbon-neutral distillery on a shoestring budget has been a challenging dream for Aisling and me, co-founders of Holocene Distilling Project, but we’re up for the task. We believe that integrating sustainability into the core of our business from its inception is far more advantageous than retrofitting hardened systems later on. Our journey began in 2017 and this past November we finally opened the doors to our home-based business, driven by our ambitious target to achieve net-zero emissions by 2030. This timeline allows us the opportunity to refine our business model while making meaningful strides towards sustainability.

The idea for this ambitious challenge developed while I was working as a project manager for a fireplace manufacturing company. It was there that I developed a lust for pellet stoves with their intricate gears, circuit boards, and the alluring ambiance they provide. I discovered some versatile pellet stoves could burn not only wood pellets, but also alternative materials like corn and wheat. While Aisling and I simmered with the idea of opening a distillery in the back of our minds, we began contemplating connecting my newfound admiration for pellets to our dream venture. This notion served as the catalyst and soon we began brainstorming creative ways to achieve a net-zero business model.

In 2017 we began establishing the groundwork needed to reach our goal. We collaborated with the graduating engineering students at Camosun College to help us design and build us custom equipment essential to meet our vision. Over the span of 5 years, we proudly sponsored 5 capstone project groups, culminating in the recent recognition by Artisan Distillers Canada for our exceptional community engagement with the college. These projects include the creation of a mash press, pellet mill, pellet stove heat exchanger, pallet jack trailer, and bottling machine.

In addition to our pellet energy program, we've integrated a heat recovery system to the distillery's cooling setup. With a large indirect water tank acting as a heat storage reservoir, we capture heat from production processes using the cooling piping network. By running this heat through coils in the tank, we're currently saving about 40% of the energy needed to boil the holding water, using what would have been wasted heat.

"Holocene" is the current epoch (age) we live in, stretching back to the last ice age when humans maintained a symbiotic relationship with the planet. However, many scientists argue that we're entering the Anthropocene, marked by human-induced climate change. We named our project "Holocene" because we cherish this era and want to preserve it. Having both grown up on Vancouver Island and spending weeks at a time camping under colossal trees, it would be hard not to develop a respect for the environment and all it provides us. 

This summer, we're planning to open our space for people to visit, explore our systems, and enjoy a cocktail while taking a tour of the distillery and specialized treatment field. Stay in the loop by signing up for our mailing list on our website or following us on social media. For more information about our sustainability implementation plan, visit our website.

Dorian Redden
Co-owner & Distiller, Holocene Distilling Project, Cobble Hill