Nc'nean distillery explained

Nc'nean distillery
Location:Morvern
Owner:Drimnin Distillery Co
Founded:2017
Type:Highland
Stills:1 wash still
1 spirit still
Source:2 nearby springs

Nc'nean distillery is a Scotch whisky distillery in Drimnin on the Morvern peninsula of the Highlands, Scotland.[1] [2] The distillery is beside the Sound of Mull, opposite the Isle of Mull. The distillery name Nc'nean, comes from "Neachneohain", a Gaelic legend which translates as the Queen of Spirits (it is pronounced Nc-ne-an).

The distillery focuses on producing an organic spirit with minimum impact on the local environment.[1] The distillery was the first in the UK to reach net zero carbon emissions during whisky production.[3] [4] [5] [6] The distillery uses renewable electricity, offsets emissions by forest planting and uses 100% recycled glass in its bottles.[5] [3] The whisky is unpeated.[7]

History

The distillery was founded by Annabel Thomas and commenced produced in 2017.[8] [9] [10] Initial funding for the distillery came from family, friends, loans, seed investors under the Seed Enterprise Investment Scheme and a £600,000 grant from the EU via the Scottish Government.[8] One known investor is Jeremy Paxman who owns a 0.6% stake.[11] Just prior to the first distillation in 2017, the master distiller Jim Swan died suddenly.[8] [10] The current master distiller is Gordon Wood, who previously worked at Diageo.[10] [12]

In March 2020, the distillery raised £1.7 million of funds to allow for expansion.[9] [13] [14] [15]

In August 2020, the distillery sold its inaugural bottle of single malt Scotch whisky at auction, raising £41,004 for charity.[10] [16]

In February 2022 Nc'nean became a certified B Corp.[17] [18]

Production

Along with a single malt whisky, the distillery also produces a botanical spirit that is unaged whisky (newmake) spirit mixed with botanicals.[8] [9] The botanical spirit was first released in September 2018.[14] The first bottling of the 'quiet rebels' series was released in November 2021. It is named after founder Annabel Thomas.[19] Nc'nean released a single cask bottling for Germany. Nc'nean Aon is four years old and was matured in an ex cream sherry hogshead with the cask number 17-257.[20] [21] In April 2022, Nc'nean launched another whiskey series. The first bottling of the series is the "Huntress '2022'.[22] The second bottling of the series was released in April 2023.[23] As the second release of the Quiet Rebels series, the Nc'nean Lorna was released in September/October 2022. It is named after the distillery's first employee Lorna Davidson.[24] With the Nc'nean Aon Cask 18-294, the distillery has released its second single cask whisky for the German market in February 2023.[25] [26] In fall of 2023, the third bottling of the 'Quiet Rebels' series followed with the Nc'nean Gordon. It is named after the distillery manager.[27] The distillery released the third bottling in the Huntress series in 2024.[28]

References

56.5987°N -5.9654°W

Notes and References

  1. Book: Morgan, Nick . 2021 . Everything You Need to Know About Whisky (But are Too Afraid to Ask) . Ebury Publishing . 978-1529108750.
  2. Web site: Nc'nean . 10 October 2021 . Scotch Whisky.com.
  3. Web site: Nc'nean is first net zero whisky distillery in UK . 16 July 2021 . The Spirits Business . 10 October 2021.
  4. Web site: Nc'nean Becomes First UK Whisky Distillery To Reach Net Zero CO2 Emissions . Forbes . 10 October 2021.
  5. Web site: Nc'nean becomes the UK's first net zero whisky distillery . 15 July 2021 . Insider . 10 October 2021.
  6. Web site: Whisky distillery Nc'nean net zero landmark . The Herald . 10 October 2021.
  7. News: 2022-07-21 . Whisky makers are turning their backs on peat . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-07-22.
  8. News: Distilling a new way to run a whisky business . Financial Times . 24 December 2019 . 10 October 2021. Conboye . Janina .
  9. Web site: Female-founded Scottish whisky distillery Nc'nean raises €1.9 million through a Seedrs campaign and private investors . 9 March 2020 . EU Startups . 10 October 2021.
  10. News: No time like present for a very modern Scotch . The Times . 10 October 2021. Bullock . Caroline .
  11. Web site: Jeremy Paxman invests in Scottish organic whisky distillery . 19 August 2020 . The Guardian . 4 March 2022.
  12. Web site: Nc'nean Doku: Annabel Thomas gewährt Einblicke in die Bio-Brennerei. CaptainScotch.de. 17 January 2022 .
  13. Web site: Nc'nean whisky distillery raises £1.7 million funding . 6 March 2020 . Insider . 10 October 2021.
  14. Web site: Nc'nean to launch £1m crowdfunding drive . 6 December 2019 . The Spirits Business . 10 October 2021.
  15. Web site: Female-led Highland distillery Nc'nean beats fundraising target ahead of launch of whisky . The Scotsman . 10 October 2021.
  16. Web site: Nc'nean's first whisky sets world record at £41,004 . 19 August 2020 . The Spirits Business . 10 October 2021.
  17. Web site: CERTIFIED B CORP. February 9, 2022. Nc'nean.
  18. Web site: February 9, 2022. Nc'nean erhält B Corp Zertifizierung. February 9, 2022. CaptainScotch.de.
  19. Web site: Nc'nean geht mit "Quiet Rebels"-Serie an den Start. 9 January 2022. CaptainScotch.de. 6 November 2021 .
  20. Web site: Nc'nean Aon: Single Cask Whisky für Deutschland . 11 March 2022 . 11 March 2022.
  21. Web site: Neu von Kirsch Import: Das erste Nc'nean Single Cask für den deutschen Markt . 8 March 2022 . 11 March 2022.
  22. Web site: Nc'nean Huntress 2022: Bio-Brennerei startet neue Whisky-Serie . 26 April 2022 . 26 April 2022.
  23. Web site: 2023-04-24 . Nc'nean Huntress 2023 Woodland Candy ab demnächst erhältlich • CaptainScotch.de . 2023-04-24 . CaptainScotch.de . de-DE.
  24. Web site: 2022-10-01 . Nc'nean Lorna: Zweiter Whisky aus der Quiet Rebels Serie veröffentlicht • CaptainScotch.de . 2022-10-01 . CaptainScotch.de . de-DE.
  25. Web site: 2023-02-15 . Nc'nean Aon Cask 18-294: Zweiter Single Cask Whisky für Deutschland veröffentlicht • CaptainScotch.de . 2023-02-15 . CaptainScotch.de . de-DE.
  26. Web site: Dirk . 2023-02-14 . Neu bei Kirsch Import: Nc'nean, Lum Reek und Eden Mill . 2023-02-15 . WhiskyExperts . de-DE.
  27. Web site: 2023-10-26 . Nc'nean Gordon ist dritter Whisky der "Quiet Rebels"-Serie • CaptainScotch.de . 2023-10-26 . CaptainScotch.de . de-DE.
  28. Web site: 2024-04-23 . Nc'nean Huntress Orchard Cobbler in Kürze erhältlich • CaptainScotch.de . 2024-04-23 . CaptainScotch.de . de-DE.