CHAPTER 6: Co-products

Up to this point, we have considered the production of distilled spirits as a linear progress, from raw materials to final product. However, these processes also produce significant volumes of waste streams, both from undistilled liquids (mainly water), which is typically close to 90% of the fermented liquid volume, and residual solids of undigested cereals and yeast. Thus it is essential to have an outlet for these co-product streams. Whilst treating as waste for disposal as effluent or landfill was a viable option historically, the financial implications of disposal costs and the potential damage to the sustainability credentials of manufacturers have led many distillers to consider options for valorizing these streams, including the isolation of value-added components and the conversion of co-products into low-cost energy sources, to the extent that the term “waste” is rarely used.