Situated less than 200 meters from their current Dornoch Distillery site, the Struie Distillery project aims to “redefine the future of whisky production” while boosting the local economy and advancing sustainable industry practices.

The new distillery, designed by Leask Architects, will have a production capacity of up to 20 times more than the original Dornoch distillery. Every aspect of production except malting will be handled on-site, from liquid creation to blending, bottling, labelling, and shipping. The new distillery will also create 10 new jobs in the local area, further supporting the community.

Utilising patent-pending technology, including a unique still and condenser design, which has been engineered and designed to run from on-site generated renewable energy sources, the distillery will operate with zero carbon emissions across scope one and two. This innovation will mean that the Struie Distillery’s energy efficiency should be the best in the world, making it one of the most sustainable distilleries globally. 

“Our vision is to create a distillery that not only produces exceptional spirits but also sets a new standard for environmental responsibility in the industry,” said Phil Thompson.

“Since my brother and I first dreamt of a new distillery, everything we’ve done has been building towards that goal. This crowdfunding campaign is about financing the build through the support of the wonderful whisky community that will help us to grow and share more Sutherland spirits with the world, all whilst bringing more long-term non-seasonal employment to the region we call home.”

Simon Thompson added: “We’re building Struie Distillery with a blend of past, present and future thinking. The goals we’ve put in place are about making great whisky right away, utilising many old-style production principles that we already run at Dornoch Distillery, but also building something unique and sustainable that will raise the bar globally for what distillers can do to protect the environment for the future. We want Struie whisky to be as delicious as it is sustainable.”

The crowdfunding campaign aims to raise £1.8m as part of an overall raise of £5m into Thompson Independent Traders Limited, the group that consists of Dornoch Castle Hotel, Dornoch Distillery Company Limited, Thompson Bros Independent bottling, blending as well as the new distillery development, Struie Distillery. The additional £3.2m will come from a combination of new and existing investors via a series A fundraise.