What could a new home for the brewing and distilling sector's trusted friend look like?

Whether you reach for a crisp lager, a barrel-aged stout or a Highland single malt, chances are Heriot-Watt University has helped shape it.

For 123 years our programmes have guided the journey from grain to glass, and from the Scottish Highlands to the Pacific Northwest, Heriot-Watt alumni continue to help shape the global drinks industry.

Martin Dickie co-founded BrewDog, now a worldwide brand; Kirsty Black leads innovation at Arbikie, one of Scotland’s most sustainable distilleries; and David Wilkinson helped shape the rise of Edinburgh Gin.

Internationally, Molly Troupe—named in Forbes 30 Under 30—has brought scientific precision to distilling in the US, Bhavya Mandanna has led brewing innovation across multiple continents and now works with Diageo, and Dr Don Livermore champions Canadian whisky as Master Blender at Hiram Walker & Sons.

And, of course, behind many of today’s advances stands the legacy of the late Professor Sir Geoff Palmer, whose groundbreaking work on the barley abrasion process rewrote the science of malting and continues to influence the sector worldwide.

Heritage like that matters, but standing still is not an option. Energy prices remain very high, net-zero deadlines tighten each year and growing numbers of consumers expect industry to be more committed to environmental and social responsibility. The sector needs solutions that make good business sense and are ready to use.

For decades the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling has delivered those solutions by working side-by-side with partners, from the Scotch Whisky Research Institute, which represents 90 per cent of Scotland’s whisky makers, to new-generation distillers such as Ardgowan.

Even the most trusted friend needs a new home when the world changes around it. That is why we are creating the £35 million Centre for Sustainable Brewing and Distilling (CSBD), a single space where teaching, research and innovation can meet the demands of a net-zero era.

If you walked through the doors of this new global centre of excellence, here’s what Heriot-Watt is planning for you would find.

From classroom to living laboratory

Our ambition is for the CSBD to become home to an operational pilot brewery and distillery powered by renewable energy. For example, we want students to be able to watch heat-recovery loops, membrane filtration and on-site CO₂ capture at work while they learn, and can switch a small-batch system from heritage grains to gluten-free malts one week before testing a zero-alcohol fermentation the next.

Our distance-learning community—already spread from China, the UK and the Americas—will be able to study a fully online MSc in Advanced Sustainability for Brewing and Distilling.

Employers looking for swift, focused training can choose tailored and specific ‘packages’ which will count toward a full Master’s degree. The result will be a talent pipeline fluent in both classic craft and climate-smart practice.

Digital twinning to AI-supported flavour mapping

We want to evolve research offering inside the CSBD so it potentially encompasses digitally-twinned distilleries that allow partners to model every heat-and-mass balance before a single valve is ordered, cutting risk and capital cost.

Circular-economy laboratories will turn draff and pot ale into biopolymers, protein feed and renewable gas, while collaboration bays pair brewing scientists with engineers will trial hydrogen boilers or fully recyclable spirits bottles.

Next door, a sensory and analytics hub teams will train tasting panels with AI-supported flavour mapping, halving the time it takes to launch a new product. Because everything will sit under one roof, the intention is for insights to travel from theory to tap faster than ever before.

Innovation born in Scotland and shared worldwide

Twenty incubator desks with shared wet-lab access will give start-ups a soft landing and a clear path to spin-out status.

Established firms, from independents to multinationals, will be able to rent the pilot plants to prove greener processes before rolling them out at scale.

Scholarships honouring Sir Geoff Palmer will widen the talent pool and advance industry diversity goals, while a hybrid-ready 200-seat theatre will draw international conferences back to Edinburgh and broadcast them worldwide.

Once fully opened, the CSBD will help the sector cut on-site emissions, launch export-ready low-carbon products and create skilled jobs that stay in Scotland while serving global markets.

Invest in the future

To build a home that tackled tomorrow’s challenges head on, Heriot-Watt needs to raise £35 million. This investment will result in a future workforce prepared and ready for net-zero, research that de-risks capital decisions and innovation that keeps flavour and quality front and centre.

Supporting the CSBD is more than a donation to a university: it backs sustainable growth, skilled talent and global leadership that will shape the future of brewing and distilling for decades to come.

Those wanting to know more about our ambitious plans and the our vision for the future can visit hw.ac.uk/proofing-the-future to find out more.

Professor Dawn Maskell is Director of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University and a leading figure in brewing and distilling education and research. A Heriot-Watt alumna, she has worked closely with industry partners across whisky, beer, and spirits to advance sustainable practices, innovative technologies, and talent development. With a background that spans academic research, technical consultancy, and international collaboration, she is now leading the creation of the Centre for Sustainable Brewing and Distilling—a £35 million initiative that aims to transform the sector for a net-zero future.