Nc’Nean Distillery

The UK’s first Net Zero Distillery and now a Certified B Corp, Nc’Nean is making positive strides in the sector.

Region

Output

Mash Size

Stills

Staff

Highland

96,000 ltrs

1 Tonne

SCW

15

“Re-using or adapting a building is the most sustainable approach for any project but it’s not always simple.”

Just a few miles from the Ardnamurchan Distillery (as the crow flies) this small but complex steading conversion shows just how much kit you can fit into a building!

The existing building group was absolutely beautiful, a stone and slate three sided courtyard overlooking the Sound of Mull, nestled into the hillside - the only issue was that the building wasn’t tall enough to fit the swan neck stills.

The roof on the back section was raised by 2m to create the extra height, a steel frame structure was installed and the traditional slate roof rebuilt to retain the character of the courtyard.

Building alterations were as light a touch as practical, although with all old farm buildings you find that there have been some “interesting” adaptations over the years!

Instead of adding a new full working level floor, a free-standing steel gantry was installed around the production equipment where access is needed leaving the stone walls of the building in tact.

The choice of fuel for heating stills is always a crucial decision, even more so when you are in a hard to reach rural location. The estate had access to their own timber suitable for biomass which had many benefits for the project, we always say that your site or wider locale really tells you what the most appropriate fuel will be.

The biomass boiler and storage sit within a new barn adjacent to the courtyard and instead of mechanical cooling, a large pond is used for process water.

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