Nc'nean Distillery: The Certified Organic Malt From a Morvern Farm Steading

In 2012 Annabel Thomas took a sabbatical from her London consultancy job to write a business plan for a distillery. Five years later spirit ran for the first time in an old farm steading on the Drimnin Estate, on the Morvern peninsula, facing the Sound of Mull. Everything Nc'nean makes is certified organic.

Nc'nean Distillery at a glance

History of Nc'nean Distillery

Thomas's parents bought the Drimnin farm in 2002, and the idea of putting a distillery in the old farm steading came from her father. She left her job in 2013 to concentrate on raising the money and building the distillery.

Dr Jim Swan, the whisky consultant, advised on the project. He died in 2017, about two weeks before the first spirit came off the stills in March. The first single malt, Ainnir, followed in 2020: a no-age-statement vatting of five casks at natural cask strength (60.3%), limited to 1,320 bottles. Bottle number one sold for £41,004 at a charity auction in August 2020.

How Nc'nean Distillery makes its whisky

The barley is organic, Scottish and unpeated. Fermentation uses the two yeasts Swan favoured, and the distillery sometimes trials a third. Steam for the stills comes from a biomass boiler.

Swan's biggest influence on maturation was the use of shaved, toasted and re-charred (STR) red wine casks, alongside ex-bourbon barrels.

Nc'nean Distillery and independent bottlers

Nc'nean is young, and its own bottlings dominate what reaches the market. Independent bottlings are still uncommon compared with long-established Highland names.

Nc'nean Distillery and The Single Cask

Casks from Nc'nean are not something we list publicly. If an organic, red wine influenced Highland style interests you, tell us what you are looking for and we will say honestly what we can and cannot source.

Plan a bottling inspired by Nc'nean Distillery

A certified organic distillery in a farm steading, born from a sabbatical business plan, is a story that suits a bottling with a clear point of view. If that appeals for your own project, start with our whisky casks available page, or read about buying a whisky cask and the four steps to bottling your own whisky. For something under your own name, our private label whisky service covers that end to end. For nearby guides, see Ardnamurchan and Tobermory, across the water on Mull.

We hold a wide range of casks to sell to independent bottlers and private customers, drawn from many different distilleries, finished in a variety of wood types from sherry and port casks to bourbon and rum, with real differences in yeast and production style from one distillery to the next. If you are an independent bottler looking for stock, or you have always wanted a cask of your own, talk to us about what we currently hold in the warehouse. Where we don't hold the exact distillery featured in this guide, we say so honestly, and you are welcome to ask what we can currently source.

If you have questions about any of this, or about Nc'nean Distillery in particular, our contact page is the fastest way to reach us.

Frequently asked questions

Who founded Nc'nean Distillery?

Annabel Thomas, who wrote the business plan in 2012 and left her London job in 2013 to build it.

Where is Nc'nean Distillery?

On the Drimnin Estate, on the Morvern peninsula in the West Highlands, beside the Sound of Mull.

When did Nc'nean start production?

The first spirit was distilled in March 2017.

Is Nc'nean organic?

Yes. The distillery's products are certified organic, including the barley.

What was Nc'nean's first single malt?

Ainnir, released in 2020 at natural cask strength of 60.3%. Bottle number one sold for £41,004 at a charity auction.

Who advised on Nc'nean?

Dr Jim Swan consulted on the project. He died in 2017, about two weeks before the first spirit was distilled.

Does The Single Cask sell a Nc'nean cask?

Casks from this distillery are not something we list publicly. Tell us what you are looking for and we will say what we can and cannot source.