Sustainable Scotch distillery project gains £1.57m
Why does this matter?
Craft distillery secures £1.57m for carbon-neutral production technology that could set new standards for sustainable beverage manufacturing at scale.
Highlights
Highlands-based Struie Distillery, which aims to become one of the UK’s largest carbon-neutral distilleries, has secured up to £1.57 million (US$2.1m) in funding to support its construction. Struie Distillery is a new project from brothers Phil and Simon Thompson, who formed Dornoch’s first distillery in 2017 under their Dornoch Distillery Company business. Last year, the duo launched a £1.8m (US$2.33m) crowdfunding campaign to help fund the construction of Struie Distillery in Dornoch, Scotland. The campaign surpassed its crowdfunding target by 129%. Struie Distillery is described as a ‘cutting-edge’ sustainable distillery that aims to redefine the future of whisky production. Planning permission for the site was granted in 2023. The £1.57m funding comes from the Scottish government’s Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE), which will contribute towards the costs of the energy efficiency elements of the construction project. The site will be powered solely by renewable energy technologies such as solar arrays, thermal energy storage and high-efficiency heat pumps. "With HIEs support towards our innovative energy infrastructure, we hope to demonstrate a path for the Scotch whisky industry to achieve electrified net-zero production leveraging market-ready technologies that are cost-competitive with the best natural gas systems,” said Simon Thompson. “If we can demonstrate the expected energy efficiency and plant reliability, such systems should be a no-brainer for widespread adoption." The Struie site will have the capacity to produce up to 400,000 litres of pure alcohol per year, more than 10 times the current production level of the company's existing Dornoch Distillery. The new development will also include integrated bottling and warehousing capabilities, allowing the expansion of the company’s existing independent bottling, blending and gin businesses. A dedicated visitor centre is expected to welcome around 15,000 visitors a year. Dornoch Distillery Company also includes Dornoch Castle Hotel, where the Dornoch Distillery is located, and the Thompson Bros bottling plant. Head of business growth with HIE’s Caithness and Sutherland team, Claire Wilson, added: “We’ve been working with Dornoch Distillery Company for several years now. It’s a company with clear growth potential, particularly in exports, and the ambition to match. “This latest project will not only significantly increase the company’s production capacity, it will also position Struie Distillery at the forefront of sustainable whisky production. As such, it has the potential to become an exemplar for the sector’s green transition.”
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