Thompson Bros’ new facility will run mostly off-grid and on renewable energy, exponentially increase capacity and generate a fraction of emissions of standard Scotch makers.
When Thompson Bros CTO and co-founder Simon Thompson talks about his distillery’s sustainable expansion plans, he knows they won’t change the industry overnight — but just as sustainability pioneers such as Aspen Vodka are doing here in the US, they could be setting an important example for small-scale distilleries across Scotland.
“We’re maybe part standard-bearer, part guinea pig,” Thompson told Sustainable Brands® (SB). “We want to show not just that this works but it’s also reliable.”
Simon and his brother, Phil, have a small but thriving business in the northern seaside town of Dornoch that includes a hotel and the Dornoch distillery — which produces gin, its own whisky and blends for other brands. Currently, the Thompson Bros facility’s maximum capacity — producing 20,000 liters of spirit annually — is a sliver compared to even the smallest labels from a major conglomerate such as Diageo; its smallest brand, Brora, produces 800,000 liters annually.
The present: Dornoch Distillery | Image credit: Thompson
Bros
However, Thompson Bros’ size allows the distillery to be nimble and flexible — and the company is exploring new avenues of growth and self-sufficient, energy-saving, eventually carbon-neutral production methods that could set a new bar for the industry.
On Monday, the company surpassed an initial £1.8 million crowdfunding effort meant to help fund an expanded facility, which will boast a host of efficiency features and a twenty-fold increase in capacity of up to 400,000 liters of spirit annually. According to a press release, every aspect of production except malting will be handled on-site — from liquid creation to blending, bottling, labelling and shipping. The raise, which is still open, comes in tandem with a private Series A run of £5 million that the company expects to complete by the end of April or early May.
The highlight of the expansion is a fully electrified distillery that can run on self-produced renewable energy — primarily generated from a large, solar-powered heat pump — which could increase resilience and dramatically lower costs for the business. The plan is to top-size production in the summer when the sun is strongest and scale back on production in winter.
“In combination with our own patent-pending innovations,” Simon coyly added, “we can improve distillery energy recapture and reduce energy expenditure on cooling.”
In 2019, the Thompson brothers converted their original distillery from gas power to electricity — experimenting and refining methods to reduce the energy needs and carbon output of their existing production. The new Struie facility will build on the successes of that transition, and also incorporates lessons learned from a visit to Ireland’s Ahascragh Distillery — the first distillery to use heat pump technology.
“They’re in a similar ballpark, in terms of the volume we want to do,” Simon said. “(After visiting), we went over a few fine details with our engineers and had to better understand thermal energy storage.”
The future: Struie Distillery | Image credit: Thompson Bros
The Thompson brothers ran a number of estimates and analyses to understand running averages of kilowatt hour per liter of produced alcohol (KwH/LPA), a widely accepted measure of distillery energy efficiency. According to the latest available Scotch Whisky Association data, an average Scotch distillery has a rating of 8 KwH/LPA, with 7.5 KwH/LPA considered “good.” A pilot project at Chivas Brothers Distillery in Speyside is the current national leader, with a rating of 3.89. Ahascragh is rated at 3.69. The Thompsons anticipate their new distillery could reach a 3 KwH/LPA rating, potentially going as low as 2.56.
Even without another pound of fundraising, the brothers can start construction as soon as this fall. Simon told SB they will start on access roads, warehouse construction and foundations with an expectation of being operational by the end of 2026. Initial production should reach 250,000 liters of spirit with potential to soon ramp up to 400,000.
In addition to solar, the distillery will draw power from wind and excess renewable power from the regional energy supplier when natural energy sources are less reliable (likely during winter). Simon says the project will complement other ongoing Thompson Bros sustainability initiatives, such as the use of majority organic heritage barley in its spirits.
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Geoff Nudelman
Geoff is a freelance journalist and copywriter focused on making the world a better place through compelling copy. He covers everything from apparel to travel while helping brands worldwide craft their messaging. In addition to Sustainable Brands, he's currently a contributor at Penta, AskMen.com, Field Mag and many others. You can check out more of his work at geoffnudelman.com.
Published Apr 2, 2025 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST
