As part of our commitment to Continuous Improvement and supporting our Environmental Sustainability Strategy, the Black Velvet Distillery recently completed an important upgrade to its boiler system and powerhouse. This long-overdue project is an important step in the distillery’s sustainability journey, allowing the facility to operate more efficiently. In addition to creating a more sustainable steam supply for the distillation process, this upgrade is a great morale booster for the employees working in the plant, providing a more modern workspace. ​​​​​​​

Why Upgrade?

The first signs of boiler failure came in 2013. The original boiler’s service life was coming to an end after 40 years of operation, serving the distillery since it was built in 1973. When the team began exploring new options to replace the old boiler in 2015, the team installed a temporary boiler and began the process of replacing the old boiler with the high efficiency steam generators. To properly operate, the process at Black Velvet requires a steady pressure of non-saturated clean steam. After experiencing issues with the quality of steam produced by the newly installed steam generators for several years and the vendor unable to resolve the issue, the team began working with a new engineer to install a new boiler with a more traditional design to provide the level of reliable steam production they had experienced with the original boiler. Throughout this process, the plant continued to operate on a temporary boiler to ensure production was uninterrupted. They worked to build a new custom fit boiler room and powerhouse to support the new boiler and ancillaries, as well as providing a more efficient space for employees to work in each day.

Creating a More Sustainable Facility

Earlier this year, Heaven Hill announced its first-ever Environmental Sustainability Strategy, addressing pressing environmental challenges within the industry and local communities in four key areas: water, emissions, waste, and conservation.

As part of that effort, we are driving toward lowering carbon emissions, with a first-year goal of reducing emissions from operations by 3%. While the temporary boiler supported production, the new boiler is about 5% more efficient than the temporary one. Additionally, the new boiler has a dual fuel operation system, allowing the facility to supplement the natural gas usage by burning fusel oil in the boiler. Fusel oil, a byproduct of distillation, is typically transported to a local facility to be disposed of through anaerobic digestion. The dual fuel operation system eliminates this disposal step and saves a modest amount of energy.  

Improving Employee Experience

While the construction phase of this project was challenging, and the team worked with temporary equipment for several years, the new boiler room and powerhouse have increased morale and improved employee experience.

“Having modern, outstanding equipment is very engaging for the employees who run it,” said Claude Bilodeau, Vice President of Black Velvet Canadian Whiskey. “Not having to hope things work and work with temporary equipment is nice for them. It’s a piece of equipment they will make their own and operate with pride.”