Nissan Leaf fuelled by whisky

Some of the shine has been taken off Nissan’s all-electric Leaf recently, with rumours of £20K battery replacement costs and that Top Gear controversy in which Clarkson and May apparently deliberately ran out of power to highlight range issues with electric cars.

Top Gear runs the Leaf flat

Nissan has fought back against both controversies and is now publicising a new advocate in the shape of Islay-based single malt distillery Bruichladdich and its boss Mark Reynier, who’s found a way of powering his Leaf from the whisky production process.

Nissan installs charge point in response to Top Gear

While claiming not to be an ‘eco warrior’ Reynier has been pushing ahead with methods of making his single malt production as self sufficient and environmentally friendly as possible, his Leaf simply a further pragmatic step along this path.

Nissan Leaf in £20K battery row

Bruichladdich converts ‘pot ale’, a by-product of the whisky production process, into biogas. The pot ale is digested by microbes, creating the biogas which is then used to generate electricity to power the distillery. And Mr Reynier’s Leaf.

First drive: Nissan Leaf

And while many claim city driving to be the perfect environment for electric cars like the Leaf Bruichladdich’s home of Islay may yet be even better, the longest journey you could carry out on the island being well within the Leaf’s official 110-mile range.

Electric cars you can buy now

For whisky-loving eco warriors there’s even a limited edition, Leaf-branded Bruichladdich single malt now available to help overturn another myth about electric cars – namely that zero emissions at street level are simply offset by the belching chimneys of the power stations that charge them.

The best electric carsReasons to love EVsElectric cars – pros and consRange anxiety – the curse of the electric car?Could an electric car work for you?Green Car Guide