Interview with Annabel Thomas, founder and CEO of Nc'nean
Nc'nean whisky embodies the spirit of the Scottish Highlands and the deep-rooted connections between the land, sea, and culture. Nestled on the rugged coast of Morvern in the west of Scotland, Nc'nean distillery draws inspiration from its breathtaking surroundings and a commitment to sustainability.
The name "Nc'nean" is an abbreviation of Neachneohain, an ancient Gaelic goddess known as The Queen of Spirits, who was a fierce protector of the natural environment. Reflecting the distillery’s profound connection to nature, Nc’nean provides a new take on the history and culture of Scotland’s whisky making.
Whisky, or "uisge beatha" in Gaelic, meaning "water of life," has been woven into the fabric of Scottish identity for centuries.
This connection extends beyond mere production; whisky is a testament to the harmony between Scotland's communities and their coastal environment. Nc'nean embraces this natural environment by sourcing organic Scottish barley and utilizing renewable energy sources, thereby honouring both the heritage of whisky-making and the natural world.
The relationship between whisky and the ocean is a tale of craftsmanship and community. Coastal distilleries like Nc'nean play a vital role in their local economies, bringing together the skills of generations while fostering a sense of belonging and identity among residents. This connection is essential as Scotland faces challenges from climate change and the evolving landscape of global markets. By emphasizing sustainable practices and championing local ingredients, Nc'nean not only pays homage to its roots but also sets a precedent for the future of whisky in Scotland. The distillery's dedication to environmentally friendly methods reflects a growing awareness within the industry of the need to preserve the very waters and lands that give life to its products.
In a world where the complexities of culture and environment often collide, Nc'nean Whisky stands as an interesting contribution to the future of Scottish Whisky. It invites whisky enthusiasts and newcomers alike to savour not just a spirit, but a deep connection to the ocean, the land, and the vibrant communities that call this extraordinary place home.
Recently, SeaVoice had the opportunity to interview Annabel Thomas, founder and CEO of Nc'nean, to delve deeper into her story, exploring her journey, commitment to sustainability, and how she continues to honour Scotland’s coastal environment through whisky.
Why did you start a whisky distillery on the west coast of Scotland?
Back in 2012 (which feels like a lifetime ago!) I was working as a strategy consultant at Bain in central London. I really enjoyed my role, but felt that life as a senior Bain partner was not my destiny, so I was already thinking where I might go next.
As much a part of the why was the where - my parents have a farm on the very remote Morvern peninsula on the west coast of Scotland. It overlooks the Sound of Mull, with Tobermory harbour in the distance. It had always been a bit of a dream around the dinner table that we could start a distillery, but actually doing it was going to take some proper planning. So when I had the opportunity to take some unpaid leave from Bain I suggested to my family that I should write a proper business plan. With the plan came research, and a key part of the research was a trip to Islay, a famous Scotch whisky Isle off the west coast known for its multiple distilleries.
This is there the ‘why’ was really discovered. Firstly, I found a whisky I really liked. And this was important, as I discovered that there were quite a lot I didn’t, and there must be more people like me who want to discover whiskies but couldn’t find one for them.
Perhaps we could create a whisky which would be really appealing to those people?
And secondly, I visited a whole load of distilleries for the first time and felt that they were all doing things the way they’d always been done. It didn’t seem like anyone was thinking about sustainability or innovation – something that was clearly happening in other industries like the big craft beer movement which was in full swing.
Of course, tradition still has a place in whisky, there is no denying that, but it felt like for the sake of the planet and for the fun of experimentation perhaps these things could be challenged?
So I wrote a business plan based around sustainability, transparency, and creating delicious, modern whisky, and the rest is history.
What were the trials and tribulations of building a distillery so remotely?
Being based on the very west coast of Scotland doesn’t come without its challenges, especially whilst trying to build the distillery itself. We are based at the end of a 12 mile single track road, and prior to that many more miles of passing places, small villages and not a city in sight. We are about an hour and a half drive from Fort William (including a small ferry), and three to four hours from Glasgow or Inverness, so you can imagine just how hard it was to get building materials, copper stills, our biomass boiler and the rest to the location to able to build the distillery.
We were also re-using an old building as part of our mission to do things as sustainably as possible, and the combination of modern distilling equipment in an old building had its very specific challenges like how we fitted the large tanks in through the relatively small openings and how we supported the new parts of the roof on the old, uneven wall heads.
During the build-phase we also had to accommodate as many of the builders on site as possible. This was great for reducing travel milage, but that meant we also had to feed them! In comes Lorna, who somehow managed to cook for the entire building team and remain friends with them, and then trained up to become one of our distillers.
The other challenge was obviously the weather. Being on the west coast of Scotland brings rain and unpredictability. We had snow in May, just as we were kicking off the project, we had to find a week in October with low winds and low rain to get our cooling pond lined, we had road blockages and all sorts! But we made it eventually and by March 2017 we had a functioning distillery!
How does the distillery’s coastal and remote location play a part in your mission?
Our incredible surroundings and beautiful coastline play a huge role in our mission to pioneer sustainable whisky production. We are lucky enough to be in area of enormous diversity in flora and fauna – there are sea otters on the shoreline, frequent whale sightings and eagles soaring above.
The heather clad land meets beaches abundant in a range of seaweeds, so you can imagine that preserving all of this and the rest of the planet whilst making delicious whisky would be our biggest mission.
In practice, this means powering our distillery on 100% renewable energy, only using organic Scottish barley to make our spirits, and bottling our whiskies in 100% recycled glass. We also focus on waste reduction, only sending 0.06% of our waste to landfill, feeding our leftover draff to the cows and spreading our pot ale (a waste product from distilling) on the land.
The sea also brings in visitors for us, with private boaters using our moorings down below the distillery to stop off for tours, and with a local water taxi and Calmac ferries bringing people from the islands (like Mull) and indeed, even from the mainland, where the Corran ferry cuts off a long journey around the end of a sea loch.
One thing we are yet to see is whether the whisky we choose to mature for longer, in our warehouses, starts to pick up some salinity from our coastal location. That is part of the fun of this project – there are things we are yet to discover!
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