There’s whiskey in the car-o

According to the Belfast Telegraph an Irish scientist has given new meaning to ‘getting tanked up' (groans) after perfecting a green way to fuel cars with Scotch.

The biofuel made from by-products of Scotch whisky distillation is just as effective as normal petrol and just as easy on the engine, which requires no modifications.

Professor Martin Tangney (45), from Macroom, Co Cork, has been working with some of Scotland's largest whisky producers at the Biofuel Research Centre at Edinburgh Napier University. They have produced a clean, carbon-neutral fuel that can be blended with regular petrol to run an engine.

Prof Tangney said of his research project: “While some energy companies are growing crops specifically to generate biofuel, we are investigating excess materials such as whisky by-products. This is a more environmentally sustainable option.”

Ach I daresay there are people who thinks that this story come straight from stereotype central (along with the inventor of the nuclear shillelagh I’ll be bound!) It certainly does have useful applications – it’s far, far better to use by products than to screw things up royally by going down the idiotic route of turning over valuable land to growing biofuels on a large scale

I can’t see whiskey by products making a huge dent in the world’s thirst for oil but every little helps.