Nominee Summary
The Moffat Distillery is a family-run, independently owned Scotch whisky and gin distillery in the Scottish Southern Uplands. Home to Scotland’s first wood-fired stills in 200 years, we produce small-batch spirits using traditional methods with modern sustainability. Founded by Nick and Erin Bullard, our growing team crafts whisky that connects people to place, story, and each other. We offer immersive tours, tastings, and community events, championing inclusive experiences and regenerative land stewardship. From locally sourced wood fuel to rewilding efforts, every part of our process honours nature, craft, and community—making whisky differently: soulfully, sustainably, and with deep local roots.
What makes your nominee stand out?
When the distillery was conceived and designed in 2019, the purpose was to create a whisky hearth that would draw people in and attract people to the area. Features of the distillery include a wood-fired process, small footprint, potential for self-sustainability, accessible by foot or bicycle, a welcoming visitor area and using the time-honored tradition of whisky making to tell the story of the connection between production, people, and nature. When a person walks through the door at the distillery, we treat them as though they have walked through the door of our home. Engagement with our customers, whether online or in-person, is our top priority. Since opening in July 2023, we’ve welcomed over 4,000 people on tours and over 12,000 people in the distillery. We’ve created a fully-accessible distillery experience with adaptations for sensory impairments. About 40% of our guests arrive on foot, by bicycle or coach with an aim to increase that to 70% by 2027. Key to providing excellent customer service and helping to build the attraction of rural Southern Scotland, we rely on thriving relationships with our staff and partners. Training is ongoing and in real time as we work closely with our staff to ensure they feel confident telling all aspects of our story, whether about distilling, products, the town or natural landscape surrounding the distillery and wider area. We currently have nine employees and aim to take on two more over the 18 months.
Supporting the local community
Since starting as whisky blenders in 2017, the community has been at the heart of everything we do. A strong desire to give back to a community that has made us feel at home, we want to extend that feeling of belonging to everyone who drinks our whisky or visits our distillery. Our first blended malt Scotch was called the Moffat, to celebrate our beautiful town. We then went on to create more blends especially for places: The Doonhamer for Dumfries and The Muckletoon for Langholm. To help raise awareness and funds for local organizations, we have created several whisky releases such as the Moffat Eagle Festival, the Stranraer Oyster Festival, the Moffat Mountain Rescue Team and the DG Arts Festival. We support local charities through bottle and experience donations and extend our space at the distillery to support local groups such as the Moffat Mountain Rescue Team, Probus Club, older adult care groups, and the local school teachers. For three years we have sponsored the Moffat Pétanque Tournament by providing prizes and an on-site bar to enhance the 3-day event. This year, we collaborated with seven local businesses to create the “Moffat Popup” during Spring Fling to attract people to the area and help support local artists. Event attendees enjoyed wild swimming, stand up paddle boarding, a wood-fired sauna, facials and massages, wood-fired pizza, Ethiopian coffee ceremonies and a cozy, dry space inside the distillery for a local beer or cocktail.
Maintaining high ethical/environmental standards
At Moffat Distillery, we believe that sustainability begins with people. Our team is built around individual strengths, drawing from both local and relocated talent to create roles that offer meaning and support. With backgrounds in coaching, Women’s Leadership and Music Therapy, we, as founders, bring a human-centred approach to employment—offering ongoing, in-the-moment training and developing roles that flex with the needs of our staff, both mentally and physically. We aim to complement—not compete with—the town. Our experiences are designed to enhance the local economy by encouraging visitors to eat, stay, and explore Moffat. We want to help attract people to live and work in the region, building on the community’s potential. Environmentally, we are forging a different path for whisky. Our wood-fired process uses locally sourced, low-impact wood including land management waste and off-cuts. We’ve eliminated single-use plastics, reclaimed 85% of cardboard packaging since 2018, and offer on-site bottle refills. Draff and pot ale feed nearby livestock, while used botanicals and coffee grounds become compost for the town. We are committed to achieving fuel self-sufficiency by 2030, and in 2024 began a 12-acre nature restoration project with local partners, planting 200+ native trees. This is part of a wider regional rewilding effort, integrating environmental responsibility into our land, process, and visitor experience. At every step, our ethical and environmental choices are driven by a belief in circular systems, care for place, and a deep respect for the people who make it all possible.
