Dornoch

Type: Distillery

Dornoch is the Thompson brothers’ small whisky distillery in a former fire station in the grounds of Dornoch Castle Hotel, in Sutherland. Its approach grew out of their interest in older bottlings: floor-malted heritage barley, brewers’ yeasts and lengthy fermentations are central to their attempt to recover qualities they admired in those whiskies.[1][2]

Dornoch at a glance

What Dornoch is known for

Dornoch’s distinguishing feature is not simply its size. It is the brothers’ decision to make production choices around the older whiskies they enjoyed. Their reference points included 1930s Glen Grant and 1960s bottlings from Bowmore, Macallan, Laphroaig and Springbank, according to trade accounts.[1][2]

The hotel bar provided the setting for that interest. Simon and Phil built up its collection with older whiskies obtained through auctions and estate sales, then sought to work backwards from the qualities they found in the glass to possible production methods.[2]

The story: from hotel bar to fire station

Story box

Story title: Older bottles inspire a new distillery

Founding story: Colin and Ros Thompson bought Dornoch Castle Hotel in June 2000; their sons later took over running it. The business that became Dornoch Distillery Company began as Black Isle Whisky Company in 2013, changed its name in 2015 and was reported operational as a distillery in December 2016.[2][5][6]

Turning point: Planning permission to convert the fire station was granted in 2015. Crowdfunding began that year, helping turn the brothers’ production ambitions into a distillery project.[3][6]

Key person: Simon Thompson oversees distilling and technical work, while Phil’s role covers sales, according to the May 2017 report.[3]

Claim: Sources give different founding years for the Dornoch business and distillery.

Verdict: Disputed

What the record shows: The bottling company began in 2013; Highlands and Islands Enterprise describes the distillery as founded in 2016, while the Northern Times gives 2017.[4][5][6]

Evidence against or gap: The dates describe different possible starting points, so a single founding year is not reliably established.

Sources: Scotchwhisky.com; Northern Times; Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Last checked: November 2026.

Verdict: Documented

Claim: The brothers set out to recreate aspects of older whisky production after studying older bottlings.

What the record shows: Trade accounts describe their ambition to “reverse engineer” production, linking their interest in older whisky to choices about barley, yeast and fermentation.[1][2]

Evidence against or gap: The documented intention does not establish that a modern Dornoch whisky reproduces the flavour of any particular historical bottling.

Earliest known source in the supplied record: Distiller, 15 November 2018.

Supporting source: Whisky Magazine, 17 June 2024.

Last checked: November 2026.

Barley, fermentation and distillation

Heritage barley comes first

Dornoch uses floor-malted heritage barley, with Plumage Archer its house variety. The varieties reported in use also include Chevalier, Scotch Annat, Hana and Bere.[1][2]

Claim: Simon Thompson observed a difference in texture between casks made with different barley varieties.

Verdict: Documented

What the record shows: In Whisky Magazine’s account, Simon described spirit from a modern barley variety as thinner in texture and called barley variety “the swing factor” for mouthfeel.[2]

Evidence against or gap: His observation is not a controlled comparison establishing how every variety behaves.

Source: Whisky Magazine, 17 June 2024.

Time and yeast in the washbacks

The 2018 account described fermentation lasting at least seven days. Whisky Magazine reported an average of 168 hours in 2024, giving two dated descriptions of the distillery’s preference for extended fermentation.[1][2]

Dornoch uses brewers’ yeast strains propagated in house and allows malolactic fermentation, according to the 2018 production account. Its wooden, open-topped washbacks were reported in 2024 to be cleaned only with hot water.[1][2]

Slow distillation and sensory decisions

Distillation is described as long and slow, with cuts selected by nose and taste.[1]

The early equipment report records a mash tun, copper still and washbacks, while the producer describes a separate still for gin. Those accounts establish the broad arrangement without supplying a dependable technical inventory of the whisky stills.[3][8]

Production timeline

Dornoch whisky and Thompson Bros bottlings

Dornoch-distilled single malt and Thompson Bros independent bottlings are connected businesses, but they are not interchangeable descriptions of a bottle. The latter business bottles whisky and rum and has provided the main income while Dornoch’s own spirit matures.[5][8]

Small casks are prominent in the producer’s account of Dornoch single malt. It describes many releases coming from octave casks yielding about 70 bottles each, with 16 casks released by ballot by September 2023.[8]

Those are dated descriptions of the release programme, not a current availability list. When identifying a bottle, distinguish Dornoch as the distiller from Thompson Bros as the independent bottler.

Gin is another part of the business. The 2018 account described Thompson Bros Organic Highland Gin as 90 per cent organic grain spirit and 10 per cent house malt spirit; the producer’s 2023 range also included Organic Mediterranean Gin.[1][8]

Struie and the fire station’s future

The Struie project represents a separate scale of ambition. The March 2025 account describes a 7.5-acre site at Dornoch South, designed by Leask Architects, with an 1880s gas works intended to become a visitor centre.[5]

Highlands and Islands Enterprise’s March 2026 account describes a planned capacity of up to 400,000 litres of pure alcohol a year. The design includes electrification, solar arrays, thermal storage and high-efficiency heat pumps, alongside bottling, warehousing and visitor facilities.[4][5]

Project verdict: Disputed. Reports give different scales and hoped-for start dates: 200,000 litres in 2024, against 400,000 litres of pure alcohol in later accounts, with anticipated starts moving from September 2024 to June or July 2025. These reports do not establish a completed or operating distillery.[2][4][5]

The key point for Dornoch is that Struie is not presented as a replacement for the fire station. Whisky Magazine’s June 2024 account says the original distillery is intended to continue alongside it.[2]

Verdict sources: Whisky Magazine; Northern Times; Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Earliest conflicting account in the supplied record: June 2024. Last checked: November 2026.

Sources

1. Distiller. Dornoch Distillery: Recreating the Past. 15 November 2018. https://distiller.com/articles/dornoch-distillery.
2. Whisky Magazine. Dornoch Distillery looks to the future. 17 June 2024. https://whiskymag.com/articles/dornoch-distillery-looks-to-the-future/.
3. Press and Journal. Brothers roll out the barrel at new Highland distillery. 16 May 2017. https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/business/local/1244683/brothers-roll-out-the-barrel-at-new-highland-distillery/.
4. Highlands and Islands Enterprise. Award for Dornoch Distillery towards new net zero whisky distillery. 24 March 2026; headline figure omitted in the supplied record. https://www.hie.co.uk/news-and-blogs/news/2026/march/24/157m-award-for-dornoch-distillery-towards-new-net-zero-whisky-distillery/.
5. Northern Times. Thompson brothers launch crowdfunding campaign for new 'Struie' eco-distillery in Dornoch. 18 March 2025. https://www.northern-times.co.uk/news/thompson-brothers-launch-crowdfunding-campaign-for-new-stru-377297/.
6. Scotchwhisky.com. Dornoch Distillery Company. Publication date not supplied. https://scotchwhisky.com/whiskypedia/14814/dornoch-distillery-company/.
7. Forbes. Meet The Whisky Startup Thriving While Industry Giants Retreat. 11 April 2025. https://www.forbes.com/sites/marklittler/2025/04/11/meet-the-whisky-startup-thriving-while-industry-giants-retreat/.
8. Dornoch Distillery. Dornoch Distillery. Undated producer website; historical statements dated individually in the supplied fact sheet. https://www.dornochdistillery.com/.

This desk-researched article uses verified fact sheet TOP-A652, distinguishing producer statements from trade reporting and keeping conflicting milestones separate.

Last checked: November 2026.