24/03/2023
Chapter 10
A chat with...Annabel Thomas (Nc'nean distillery) - #6
Officially operational since March 2017, Nc’nean is an independent whisky distillery located on the Morvern peninsula, facing Tobermory on the Isle of Mull.
It is probably fair to say that they are Scotland’s first organic distillery. “Made by nature not by rules” is their motto, which is put into practice by creating new flavours with a sustainable production.
Founded by Annabel Thomas in 2013, Nc’nean is today a certified B corp (see side mention), and eco-conscious distillery.
Their name is inspired by Neachneohain, an ancient Gaelic goddess, known as the ‘Queen of Spirits’ and a fierce protector of nature who, according to the Gaelic legend, was never afraid to walk her own path. Nc’nean is therefore an abbreviation, and the goddess’ ethos is reflected in what they do.
This time I have had the pleasure and privilege to chat with Annabel and get her own answers about her personal journey and about this beautiful distillery.
Let’s see what she told us…
Hi Annabel, thank you for taking the time to chat with us. Please introduce yourself, and tell us a little bit about your whisky journey so far.
I’m Annabel, CEO and Founder of Nc’nean Distillery.
I’m an ex-management consultant, now running a sustainability focused Scotch distillery on the west coast of Scotland.
When and how did you join this growing industry?
I left my job as a management consultant in London nearly 10 years ago to start what would become Nc’nean. It wasn’t named as such at that time, but started with the same mission we retain today – to pioneer sustainable production and create experimental spirits.
We spent 2 years fundraising, 2 years building the distillery from scratch and started distillery 6 years ago – in March 2017.
Now tell us a bit more about Nc'nean distillery, what is it that makes it stand out in the whisky industry?
I think really three things:
- Our uncompromising focus on sustainability – we are 100% organic, we operate the distillery on 100% renewable energy, we have a very low water footprint and we use a 100% recycled glass bottle for our whisky. And those are just the main things – this approach runs through our veins. We are one of the only distilleries in Scotland to have a published carbon footprint.
- Our experimental approach to spirit development – I can’t get very excited about the traditional idea just making one spirit year in year out so we mix things up a bit – spirits made to mature for longer or shorter periods and spirits made with different yeasts to create deliciously different flavours
- Our openness and willingness to do things differently – this is more of an ethos than anything else but most of our team are not from the whisky industry and I think that means we think and act differently – from encouraging people to mix our whisky with soda, to the way our bottle looks.
Can you tell us what Nc'nean's target audience is?
We are very much about bringing people into the world of whisky as well as appealing to whisky lovers.
We love it when people tell us ‘I didn’t even think I liked whisky until I tried Nc’nean’!
Can you tell us how you select your casks, and anticipate anything about what we can expect to see next?
Quality, firstly, and interest, secondly. We have a base selection of ex-bourbons and STR red wine casks and beyond that a huge range of weird and wonderful one offs.
We are about to launch our second edition of our very popular Huntress series. It’s not public yet, so I can’t say too much but it will showcase more of our experimental side and is delicious! Out late April.
We are also expanding geographically and will be entering the US this year which is very exciting. I’m afraid more details on that are also ‘to come’!
What advice would you give to a beginner that is approaching this world and perhaps starting his/her own collection?
For me it is all about taste – find things you like and drink them. There is a whisky for everyone. There is no right or wrong and if anyone tells you there is then they are not worth the time of day.
It’s not about how rare a whisky is, how old a whisky is, or how many complicated things someone can tell you about it’s production. It’s about whether you like it or not.
Lastly, what is, generally speaking, your favourite whisky style (cask type, ageing, peated/unpeated etc.)? What’s your dram of choice at the moment and/or your go to drams on a Friday evening?
Well, apart from our recently released Rivesaltes single cask which I can’t get enough of (it’s pink and delicious) I always go for fruity (but not sherried), unpeated whiskies.
I love ex-bourbon cask matured whisky, I don’t always think older is better and I like exploring. I also obviously have a soft spot for other distilleries who have a similar ethos to us – for example Bruichladdich are also a certified B Corp, and recently released a biodynamic whisky – which I love both for its taste and ethos behind it!
Official website: https://ncnean.com
Drams
and more...
Today's drams
- Nc’nean Ainnir (Inaugural Release 1320 bottles) – 60.3%
- Nc’nean Organic single malt (batch varies) – 46%
- Nc`Nean Quiet Rebels, Lorna – 48.5%
B Lab organisation
B Lab is a non-profit organisation that was founded in 2006 in the United States. It is the body that releases private certifications to ‘for-profit’ companies based on their social and environmental performance, when meeting certain criteria.
B-Corp companies (Certified B Corporation) comply with certain standards to guarantee a positive impact on their employees, on the society and on the environment. They combine in an exemplary way the economy and profit with ethics, sustainability and well-being.