Nc’nean is green. It’s the poster-child of whisky’s sustainable, organic, renewable, net-zero, B Corp-certified future. Led by Annabel Thomas from her family’s farm in Drimnin, over the last decade, it has grown into one of the most progressive names in drinks, let alone Scotch.
But Nc’nean isn’t only about environmental credentials. It’s about people, and the spirit they make, and the spirit those people have. Nowhere is that clearer than in its Quiet Rebels series. This week, there are two new releases: a whisky aged in stout casks and an oat-based cream liqueur.
The Quiet Rebels Series
Launched in 2020, Quiet Rebels is how this distillery does limited editions. No marketing mascots or no faceless “founder’s reserve.” Instead, each release belongs to someone at Nc’nean. Distillers, bottlers, and blenders get to put their own story in the bottle, sitting down with the blending team to explore flavours that connect to their lives.
Beyond all polished packaging and tasting notes, distilleries are shaped by the personalities within them. Many of them never make any headlines; they dutifully do their work, make their mark, and go home. Unsung heroes. The Quiet Rebels, if you will.
The new additions to The Quiet Rebels Series
Simon & Sarah’s Story
This year, we have the great delight of two bottles released in tandem. This is a distillery first, as is the fact that one of them is not a whisky at all.
The spotlight goes to husband-and-wife duo Simon and Sarah Hewitt, who swapped long-distance hiking for life on Scotland’s remote Morvern peninsula. Together, the two have tackled two of the world’s most iconic long-distance trails: the 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail in the USA and New Zealand’s 1,900-mile Te Araroa, which stretches almost the full length of their respective countries.
Today, Sarah runs bottling, while Simon is one of Nc’nean’s longest-serving distillers.
Quiet Rebels Simon
Simon’s bottling is a love letter to beer. It’s a single malt Scotch whisky aged in STR red wine casks, then finished in Innis & Gunn oatmeal stout casks. In a full‑circle twist, those stout casks had also previously held Nc’nean whisky. These barrels help create a whisky that brims with chocolate brioche, cherry jam, and coffee fudge cake.
Quiet Rebels Sarah
Sarah went a different route. Never a fan of neat whisky, she instead wanted to craft a cream liqueur she’d actually drink. The twist? No dairy. Using organic single malt Scotch whisky, organic demerara sugar, organic gluten-free oats, and organic sunflower lecithin, she and the team built a whisky liqueur that’s velvety, spiced, and dripping with crème brûlée character. Shake well and pour over plenty of ice.
Say hello to Simon and Sarah
The Bigger Picture
Nc’nean’s rebellious streak isn’t confined to Quiet Rebels. The Highland distillery itself was founded on the principle of doing things differently.
Thomas, a former management consultant, was frustrated by the Scotch industry’s reluctance to embrace sustainability. She set out to build something modern. Something rooted in organic barley, net-zero emissions, renewable energy, recycled-glass bottles, and even a biomass boiler that costs five times more than the conventional option.
It wasn’t easy. Real change never is. But the results speak for themselves. Nc’nean has become the UK’s first certified net-zero whisky distillery, a winner of “Sustainable Distillery of the Year” at the Icons of Whisky awards, and a producer whose spirits genuinely reflect their values.
Have you tried Nc’nean Organic Single Malt Whisky?
Nc’nean’s People-First Whisky
Most importantly, its flagship organic single malt and limited editions like the Huntress series and competition-led one-offs have shown that sustainability and flavour aren’t mutually exclusive.
What the Quiet Rebels bottles highlight is that Nc’nean’s vision isn’t just green, it’s human. It’s about empowering the people who make the whisky to tell their own stories, creating spirits that carry personality as much as terroir.
Simon and Sarah’s 2025 releases are now available at Master of Malt. To purchase, simply click the links in the names.
Buy Nc’nean Quiet Rebels – Simon HERE and Nc’nean Quiet Rebels – Sarah HERE.
