Today Scotland’s leading female-founded, organic and sustainable whisky distillery, Nc’nean, has successfully raised more than €1.9 million in a new funding round from both a crowdfunding campaign and private investors to help accelerate its current growth plans.
The innovative whisky distillery, founded in 2017, exceeded its funding target in little over a week. The startup was created and is run by Annabel Thomas, and the unique name Nc’nean, comes from ‘Neachneohain’ the Queen of Spirits in Gaelic legend (pronounced Nc-ne-an). The distillery itself can be visited for tours and is located in the remote community of Drimnin on the west coast of Scotland.
The investment raised will go towards supporting the launch of the first whisky this year, the continued growth of their innovative Botanical Spirit, as well as buying bottling equipment and supporting further portfolio expansion.
Kerry Sharp, Director of the Scottish Investment Bank, the investment arm of Scottish Enterprise (one of Nc’nean’s key investors), said: “We are delighted to support this female-led innovative young company, which has a strong commitment to sustainability and is creating additional jobs in a rural area of Scotland. The Scottish Investment Bank has been pleased to support Nc’nean and congratulates the company on its latest funding round. We are excited to see how Nc’nean flourishes in the future and look forward to the release of its first whisky later this year.”
Annabel Thomas, CEO and Founder of Nc’nean, said: “Nc’nean’s funding success shows the overwhelming support from our community in what we do. We would like to thank our existing investors for their continued support and welcome all our new investors on board. Since inception, we have strived to drive change in the whisky industry through experimental spirits and sustainable production. 2020 will be our most exciting year to date as we introduce our whisky to the world for the first time and continue to grow our business .”
Nc’nean’s first product was a Botanical Spirit, a whisky-gin hybrid that showcases the distillery’s unaged whisky spirit as its base. Launched in late 2018, it was voted ‘Top 10 most innovative new spirits’ by The Spirits Business and has helped raise Nc’nean’s profile as a creative player in the spirits category.
Originally produced in a limited run, the distillery will use part of the funding to continue the production of their Botanical Spirit. Described by highly-esteemed spirit experts at The Great British Food Awards 2019 as “a tipple that’s truly different” and “made to celebrate Scotland’s landscape within the spirit”, it was also awarded a Silver Medal in the International Spirits Challenge 2019 and a Gold in the Wizards of Whisky 2020. The distillery itself was also recently listed first in the article “Ten of the best whisky tours in Scotland” by The Guardian.
