Diageo has announced the trial of Everpour, a new keg and integrated bottle dispense system, at selected bars in Dublin. The trial, which features Smirnoff vodka, is part of Diageo’s broader efforts to reduce the carbon emissions of its major brands. The Everpour system is part of Diageo’s commitment to a circular economy and supports its broader carbon reduction goals under its Spirit of Progress ESG plan.
The trial, which runs for six weeks, will use 5- or 17.5-litre kegs of Smirnoff vodka, with each keg expected to replace at least 500 single-use glass bottles and Diageo anticipates that the system will cut carbon emissions by more than 50% per litre of Smirnoff, reduce the time required to manage empty bottles, and free up storage space in bars.
Developed by Diageo’s Breakthrough Innovation team in partnership with Hodges & Drake, Everpour uses reusable stainless-steel kegs to pipe spirits to a dispensing unit. When the keg is empty, Diageo collects, cleans, and refills it before redistributing it to participating venues and when the system has reached the end of its life cycle, it will be collected by Diageo and recycled.
Stephanie Jacoby, Global Vodka Senior Vice President at Diageo, said, “We’re really excited that Smirnoff is the leading brand on Everpour as we know how important it is to combine convenience for our bartenders and sustainability for our company. We continually push the boundaries of what’s traditional in the drinks trade and look forward to learning more about circularity through this exciting trial.”
Dave Lutkenhaus, Global Sustainability Innovation Director at Diageo, said, “This a huge milestone for Diageo to be trialing our first bespoke Diageo-led developed circular economy system for spirits in the on-trade. We’ve designed the system building on the years of insights we have from the on-trade with the aim for Everpour to be convenient and desirable for bartenders to use, whilst reducing our carbon emissions. We’re looking forward to seeing the results from the trial to take into our next round of product development.”
The trial results will be used to refine the Everpour system, with additional trials expected in the future.