The Distilled Spirits Council (DISCUS) received the 2024 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.  

“We are honored to receive this special recognition from the EPA for the second consecutive year,” DISCUS President & CEO Chris Swonger said in a news release. “The distilling industry recognizes the importance of protecting our natural resources and distillers across the country continue to prioritize sustainable and efficient ways to use energy in the production of spirit products.”   

DISCUS received the award for partnering with the EPA to raise awareness within the industry about EPA’s new Energy Performance Indicator (EPI) tool developed specifically for distilleries.  

The EPI compares a distillery’s energy efficiency to distilleries with similar characteristics.  It can be used to help distilleries benchmark, improve their energy efficiency, and seek special ENERGY STAR certification recognizing distilleries that are best in class for energy efficiency. 

The EPI was developed between EPA, Duke University, and a team of DISCUS members and other distilleries participating in the EPA’s ENERGY STAR program. The distilled spirits sector is the first in the beverage alcohol industry to have its own EPI.  

“I congratulate this year’s ENERGY STAR award winners for their innovation and leadership, in delivering cost-effective energy efficient solutions that create jobs, address climate change, and contribute to a healthier environment for all,” EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan said. 

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to energy efficiency and the transition to a clean energy economy. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. These efforts have saved more than 5 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity over the past 30 years. 

Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. For a complete list of 2024 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.