Nc’nean

Located in the town of Drimnin, nestled in the Western Highlands of Scotland on the Morven peninsula overlooking the Isle of Mull, sits the small but mighty Nc’nean [Nc•nee•an] distillery. Named after the Gaelic goddess Neachneohain, who was known as the Queen of Spirits and a fierce protector of nature, and whose ethos guides Nc’nean in everything they do, Nc’nean is an independent, organic whisky distillery that has been crafting experimental spirits and pioneering sustainable production since 2017.

After leaving her job in London in 2013, founder Annabel Thomas spent four years raising funds and building the distillery from the ground up on the west coast of Scotland driven by a desire to create spirits that exist in harmony with the planet. Working closely with the late legendary whisky icon Dr. Jim Swan to develop Nc’nean’s recipes and cask regimen, the distillery fired up its stills in 2017 and bottled its first fully matured single malt in 2020. Nc’nean was met with adoration out of the gate with their hugely impactful organic single malt produced with a tiny environmental footprint.

All milling, mashing, fermenting, distillation, and aging take place at the distillery. Nc’nean produces two distinct mashes with variances in yeast strains (one that yields high alcohol wash and one that yields high ester wash), fermentation (between 65 and 135 hours), and distillation season to produce its rich and fruity spirit.

Believing it to be their responsibility to constantly improve their environmental impact in terms of carbon footprint, pollution, and biodiversity, Nc’nean aims to make the best whisky in the best possible way for the planet and operates on three fundamental tenets, or three “100s”: the distillery operates using 100% renewable energy, uses 100% organic Scottish barley sourced locally from two organic certified farms, and bottles their spirits in 100% recycled glass. Additionally, 99.97% of their waste is diverted from landfills, and in 2021 Nc’nean became the first whisky distillery in the UK to be verified as net zero carbon emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by Environmental Strategies Ltd.

Most impressive is Nc’nean’s B Corp certification—a certification awarded to companies who have met extremely high social and environmental standards, representing their commitment to goals beyond pure profit. Not only has Nc’nean met the rigorous standards necessary for B Corp certification, but they have achieved the highest score to date for any food and beverage organization globally.

Nc’nean’s environmental efforts are detailed with full transparency in their published sustainability report.