Sustainable Refills
How Bars Can Reduce Glass Waste and Cut Costs with Kilted Dragon Distillery
🌍 Introduction
Sustainability in hospitality isn’t just a buzzword—it’s becoming a business imperative. With the UK’s hospitality sector generating over 200,000 tonnes of glass waste annually, bars and restaurants are under growing pressure to reduce their environmental footprint while managing costs. At Kilted Dragon Distillery, we’re helping our partners do both through our innovative refill program. Here's how sustainable refills are reshaping the drinks industry.
🧪 The Problem: Glass Waste & Emissions in Hospitality
The traditional single-use bottle model hides a hefty environmental cost:
- 🏭 500g of CO₂ is emitted for every new glass bottle produced.
- 🔄 Even recycling consumes 30% of the energy needed to make new bottles.
- 🗑️ Recycling one tonne of glass saves 315 kg of CO₂ compared to landfill—but reuse is the real game-changer.
For a medium-sized bar, switching to refills can save:
- 💡 Over 1,000 bottles from the waste stream annually.
- 🌫️ Around 500 kg of CO₂ emissions, just from bottle production.
- 💸 Lower waste management costs and fewer logistical headaches.
🛠️ Our Solution: The Kilted Dragon Refill Program
We’ve designed our refill program for bars and suppliers ready to make a real impact:
- ♻️ Spirits are delivered in reusable containers.
- 🧼 Containers are collected, sanitized, and refilled at our 5-star hygiene-rated facility.
- 🚚 We handle the logistics—reducing packaging waste and transport emissions.
✅ How Refills Make a Difference
Benefit
Impact
🧃 Reduced Glass Waste
Up to 80% less glass waste per bar
🌱 Lower Carbon Footprint
Fewer bottles = significant CO₂ savings
💰 Cost Savings
Refills are cheaper than buying new bottles
⏱️ Operational Efficiency
Less time spent on bottle handling
📣 Marketing Edge
Consumers love eco-conscious brands
🌿 Our Broader Commitment to Sustainability
At Kilted Dragon Distillery, sustainability drives everything we do:
- ⚡ Installing a new iStill system to cut energy use by 90%
- 🚜 Sourcing ingredients locally to reduce transport emissions
- 🔁 Expanding our refill program to make spirits production greener at every stage
📞 How to Get Involved
Ready to cut waste, save money, and serve great spirits more sustainably?
- 📧 Email us: enquiries@kilteddragondistillery.com
- 🌐 Visit: www.kilteddragondistillery.com
We’ll tailor a refill solution that fits your bar’s needs.
🥂 Conclusion
Sustainable refills aren’t just good for the planet—they’re good for business. Partnering with Kilted Dragon Distillery means:
- Less waste
- Lower emissions
- A standout sustainability story
Let’s raise a glass to a greener future—one refill at a time.
Building The Kilted Dragon: From Behind the Scenes to Centre Stage
Why We Stopped Creating for Others and Started Crafting Our Own Legacy
For over 15 years, we stood behind the curtain — brewing, distilling, developing, and creating for other brands. From small batch distilleries to major global drink producers, our fingerprints were everywhere… just not on our own bottle.
Until now.
The Kilted Dragon Distillery wasn’t born overnight. It was forged slowly — from flavour, fire, and a fierce love of tradition and a leap of faith in ourselves. This is the story of why we finally decided to build something, and what it means to create a spirit brand and help others do the same.
🧪 Years in the Shadows (and in the Lab Coats)
Bringing a customers creation to life has always been the favourite part of my job, and I created so many things that never made it to a glass for sampling. I didn't have a voice, control of product, quality, sales generation.
But over time, a question kept echoing:
“Can we build something and give ourselves a voice?”
We loved the work. Still do. But we also knew we had our own story to tell — one steeped in the wildness of Wales, the heritage of Scotland, and the quiet rebellion of creators who finally decide to own their craft.
“We built a dozen stories that weren't ours to tell. Now we’re telling our own.”
Why The Kilted Dragon?
The name came easily — a blend of where we come from and who we are - Scwelsh!
The Dragon is a symbol of Wales: ancient, powerful, and fiercely creative.
The Kilt nods to our Scottish roots: bold, traditional, but never boring.
Together, they represent the meeting of cultures, flavours, and philosophies that have shaped everything we do.
The Kilted Dragon is a distillery, yes — but it’s also a statement.
We’re not just bottling spirits. We’re entering the market with intent.
🔥 The Difference of Doing It for Ourselves
When you’ve worked behind the scenes for years, you know why others have challenges that lead to failures especially in planning, supply chain and experience with brand & technology. We also know what good looks like, what customers need, the impact a producer can have in their business.
Leading with a client first mindset is already building success!
At Kilted Dragon, we:
Source ingredients with purpose — often wild, local, and rooted in our land
Develop spirits with flavour complexity and storytelling in mind
We aren't afraid to break tradition when it serves the flavour
No gimmicks. No shortcuts. No white-label repackaging for our own signature spirits.
✨ What We're Building (and Why You Might Care)
The Kilted Dragon is more than just a distillery — it’s a launchpad.
We’re here for:
Spirit lovers who want something bold
Founders and start-ups who want to craft their own brand with authenticity
Bars and retailers looking for something that doesn’t taste or feel mass-produced
And honestly, for ourselves — because after decades of making for others, it feels damn good to make for ourselves
“It’s not ego. It’s ambition and creative freedom.”
🍂 What’s Next?
We’re getting ready to launch our signature range — and more are on the horizon. You may see us at some local markets and events giving samples and selling some bottles pre-launch
We’re developing bespoke spirits for visionary clients who share our values and want to be part of the Kilted Dragon Family.
We’re working creatives who understand our values and share in our vision.
And we’re not done.
Want to Build With Us?
Whether you’re here for the flavour, the folklore, or the fire — we’d love to have you on this journey.
Start your own brand or follow us on our platforms for the launches.
Let’s raise a glass to creating something that’s finally — and unapologetically — ours.
– The Kilted Dragon Team