Annabel Thomas, founder of Nc’nean organic whisky distillery, has emerged as a trailblazer in the whisky world. She is raising the banner of sustainability and organic purity with unwavering conviction. Thomas’ vision has not only redefined what a modern distillery can be, but has also inspired a new generation of producers to follow her lead.
Founded in 2013, Nc’nean is often hailed as Scotland’s first sustainable distillery, crafting 100% organic Scotch whisky, powered by renewable energy. Thomas left behind a secure career in corporate strategy in London to build the distillery alongside her family. It was a bold move that fused contemporary environmental ideals with the time-honored craft of whisky-making. The name Nc’nean pays homage to Neachneohain, the ancient Gaelic goddess and queen of spirits, protector of nature and fierce independence.
Thomas’ leap into whisky was deliberate and thoughtful. She chose the uncertain path of building a distillery from the ground up. The decision was not impulsive but born of a quiet convergence between dissatisfaction and vision.
“I had wanted for a while to leave,” Thomas recalled, “just because I didn’t want to be a strategy consultant forever. And in parallel, but not originally as a destination, we had this idea to start a whisky distillery on our farm. I had written a business plan, not actually thinking I would run it, and then those two worlds coincided. We figured out this distillery is never going to happen unless someone worked on it… and so off I went and jumped headfirst into it.”
Today, that mission remains unchanged. Reflecting on that time, Thomas said, “I think what energized me to do that then is what energizes me to do it today.” She continued, “I started with this very, very clear mission, and that’s still our mission today: pioneering sustainable production and creating this fruity, elegant whisky that can bring lots of people into the wonderful world of whisky.”
Long before sustainability became a buzzword, Thomas was already laying the groundwork for a different kind of distillery, one rooted in environmental stewardship and progressive thinking. Nc’nean was not built to chase trends; it was built to challenge convention. As she began drafting her business plan, a deeper curiosity took hold. “I went and toured some other Scotch distilleries with this newfound love of the product in my mind,” she recalls. “And I guess that was probably the most important lightbulb moment, when I really understood how traditional most of the Scotch distilleries in Scotland are.”
That realization became a catalyst. The industry, steeped in heritage, seemed to resist evolution. But Thomas saw an opportunity to lead it forward. “If you look at the industry as a whole,” she said. “I think it’s really important that at least parts of it are forward-looking, future-looking, and thinking about the next generation of consumers and what they’re looking for. That, for me, was such an important point, when I realized there was no one really thinking about sustainability, for example.
Balancing sustainability with the traditions of Scotch whisky-making is no small feat, but it is a challenge Thomas embraces with clarity and conviction. Nc’nean was never meant to be perfect, but it was always meant to be principled. “We’re not perfect,” she admitted. “It is almost impossible to do things perfectly from a sustainability point of view at the moment.”
Yet the roots of Scotch whisky itself offer a kind of poetic symmetry. “If you go back,” Thomas explained, “(whisky) was a very agricultural, farm-based product. Originally a sustainable, local spirit.” While Nc’nean cannot fully replicate that scale, its ethos remains grounded in simplicity and stewardship.
“We buy an agricultural product, barley, so we have to make sure that we’re farming in as sustainable a way as possible,” Thomas said. “We then distill, so we need to make sure that it is a sustainable process. That is not so hard because we do at least now have really good renewable sources of energy in the world to fuel that process. Water and waste, we’ve got really good sustainable solutions for.”
The real challenge, Thomas said, lies beyond the stills. “Packaging and distribution, the world doesn’t have the right solutions for those yet. So, we’ve adopted the best we can find, but they still require a lot more work to get to perfect.”
That same care and curiosity extend into Nc’nean’s flavor profile. Its whisky is light and elegant, with notes of lemon, bright citrus fruits, and the breath of fresh meadows. At the heart of its character is fermentation, stretched over two weeks to unlock deeper complexity. “Yeast is really important in flavor creation in that beer brewing process,” Thomas said. “To that end, we spend a lot of time thinking about yeast and fermentation links and all these other factors.”
One standout experiment began in 2017, using a yeast strain originally derived from champagne production. “We did a two-week distillation with it,” she recalled. “And interestingly, unlike some of our other yeast experiments, it’s taken quite a while to come of age. But this year, it suddenly was like, ‘I’m ready.’”
“It was a yeast that was originally derived from champagne production and we did a two-week distillation with it in 2017. And interestingly, unlike some of our other yeast experiments, it’s taken quite a while to come of age. But this year, it suddenly was like, ‘I’m ready.'”
From grain grown without fertilizers to the long fermentations and patient distillations, every step at Nc’nean reflects Thomas’ unwavering belief in sustainability. But the soul of the distillery is not just in the spirit: it lives in the people. Nc’nean’s “Quiet Rebels” series honors its team, with each release dedicated to a different member.
We tasted “Nc’nean Quiet Rebels: Amy,” a tribute to the head of sustainability. “Amy loves port-finished whisky,” Thomas shared. “But she wanted her release to reflect something specific about the sustainability side of her role. Which is quite a hard brief because we’re already pretty sustainable, so we needed to find a kind of extra sustainability layer to put on top. We were lucky enough to find some very interesting casks. A fortified wine from France, made in a similar way to port, but from a super sustainable wine producer.”
It is a powerful gesture that speaks to leadership not just in innovation, but in community. Thomas is reshaping the whisky world with grace and grit, proving that tradition and transformation can walk side by side. The future of Scotch whisky may very well be written by its quiet rebels.
Annabel Thomas is not just making whisky. She is conjuring a spirit born of myth and modernity. Nc’nean channels the fierce independence and elemental guardianship of its namesake into every drop. It is a distillery worthy of attention on the vast and varied whisky landscape. When investigating it, bear in mind that it is a living testament to what Scotch whisky can become when tradition meets purpose, when the land is honored, and when the future is invited to the table. With each bottle, Nc’nean whispers of wild meadows and ancient queens, of clean energy and quiet rebellion. And as the industry watches, it is clear: the next chapter of whisky will not be written in smoke and peat alone. It will rise from the soil, sing through the yeast, and carry the fire of those brave enough to reimagine the craft
