We’re always keen to hear about the latest environmental innovations and when it involves whisky, even better! Scientists in Scotland have found a formula to make fuel from whisky by-products.

Much like ethanol, the 'butanol'l chemical - which is produced by combining the ‘pot ale’ liquid from the copper distillery equipment and the spent grains used to make whisky - can be used to run an engine without any modifications needed.

Scientists also claim that the whisky-produced butanol is superior to ethanol as a fuel, with 25% more energy per unit volume. And with 1,600 million litres of pot ale and 187,000 tons of spent grain produced annually by the malt whisky industry, there's real potential for the new biofuel to be available on the garage forecourt.

"While some energy companies are growing crops specifically to generate biofuel, we are investigating excess materials such as whisky by-products to develop them,” Professor Martin Tangney, director of the Biofuel Research Centre at Edinburgh Napier University, told Sky News. "This is a more environmentally sustainable option and potentially offers new revenue on the back of one of Scotland's biggest industries."