Litchfield Distillery Goes Solar

Litchfield Distillery is committed to the hard work it takes to protect our environment and reduce our environmental impact. Today, we’re proud to share that the distillery will transition to solar power.

“Going solar has been on our radar for some time,” said Jack Baker, co-owner of Litchfield Distillery. “It’s a fairly complicated transition that took a lot of planning, but we’re excited to be crossing the goal line.”

The Distillery contracted Newtown-based Smart Roofs to install 174 solar panels on the building’s roof. Since the panels lay flat on a flat roof, they are barely visible from ground view and may be hard for the average person to spot.

“We estimate that our panels will provide close to 100% of our electrical needs moving forward,” said Baker on the subject.

Since opening its doors over four years ago, Litchfield Distillery has operated with a farm-to-bottle-to-farm philosophy, which focuses on how to reduce and reuse raw materials associated with the distillation process.

Corn and rye grains, for example, are 100% sourced from Lion Rock Farm just a few miles away from the Distillery. Once the grains have done their job, a portion return to local farmers where they are used to help feed livestock. Local artisan bakers have used the Distillery’s spent grains to create biscotti and other delicious baked goods.

Since barrels used for producing bourbon can only be used once, there are active programs and collaborations in place to ensure used barrels find a home for secondary use. Many regional craft beer companies and wineries use Litchfield Distillery retired bourbon barrels to create new offerings, which benefit from the barrel’s woodsy notes and residual bourbon flavors.

A favorite example of reusing barrels involves Litchfield Distillery’s collaboration with Sandy Hook-based Maple Craft Foods, which produces a popular Bourbon-Barrel Maple Syrup. Once the distillery disgorges its bourbon barrels, they ship a quantity to Maple Craft where they get filled with Vermont maple syrup and aged. Once the maple syrup is bottled, the barrels return to Litchfield Distillery where they are filled once again with Straight Bourbon Whiskey and aged for a few months longer. This spirit eventually becomes Litchfield Distillery’s Maple Bourbon.

“Protecting the environment is a long-term commitment,” continued Baker. “Whether our efforts are large or small, our goal is that everything adds up to create a significant positive impact.”

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