June 11, 2025 [H2 View]- Suntory Global Spirits has reportedly shelved its £60m green hydrogen project located at the Auchentoshan Distillery in Dalmuir, Scotland.

The HyClyde Auchentoshan project, led by Suntory (formerly Beam Suntory) and Marubeni Europower, applied for government funding via the second Hydrogen Allocation Round (HAR2). However, the project was not included in the final shortlist.

H2 View understands that the unsuccessful HAR2 proposal has led to the termination of the project.

“Whilst Suntory Global Spirits and Marubeni are disappointed in this outcome, we would like to thank our local community again for their input and feedback during our community consultation events, as well as members of the Community Councils and West Dunbartonshire Council,” Suntory said in an online statement.

The HyClyde initiative was announced in 2024, shortly after Suntory produced whisky from a pilot distillery in Japan using 100% hydrogen as a fuel source for direct-fired distillation.

At the Suntory Yamazaki Distillery in Osaka, the partners conducted a world-first trial using 100% hydrogen to directly fire the still – a traditional distillation method that typically relies on natural gas flames rather than indirect steam heating.

The project developments are part of the UK Government-funded WhiskHy project.