An economic assessment of a planned £35 million brewing and distilling facility at Heriot-Watt University puts its potential annual contribution to the Scottish economy at over £53 million, with nearly 1,600 jobs projected to follow within ten years of opening.
A proposed Centre for Advanced Brewing and Distilling would extend the work of the university's brewing and distilling school, a programme with an established international standing that has supplied qualified workers to Scotland's whisky and beer industries across multiple generations. Modelling by BiGGAR Economics puts the facility's broader contribution to gross value added at close to £325 million a year within a decade, with roughly £53.4 million of that representing net new activity drawn into the economy annually.
Projections in the document put potential employment across Scotland at around 1,570 positions, with the facility also positioned to help the sector address pressures including the transition to net zero, rising production costs, and a shortage of skilled workers.
A total of £35 million is needed to bring the project to fruition, with Heriot-Watt drawing £25.3 million from industry partners and philanthropic donors while the remaining £9.7 million would come through public channels. The assessment put the figure at £20.80 returned for every pound of public money spent.
Capacity pressures on the nearly four-decade-old International Centre for Brewing and Distilling — driven by rising enrolment and expanding industry partnerships — were cited by the university as the justification for establishing a new facility. Across the 2024-25 period, the ICBD contributed an estimated £240.1 million to Scotland's gross value added while underpinning around 1,180 positions in the workforce, according to the report's findings.
Roughly 60,000 people across Scotland draw their livelihoods from the alcohol sector, with distilling alone accounting for some 14,000 of those roles — a share that represents well over seven in ten of all distilling jobs found anywhere in the UK.
Equipped with pilot-scale brewing and distilling apparatus, dedicated research laboratories, carbon capture infrastructure, and renewable energy installations, the planned centre would give businesses a controlled environment in which to trial novel production techniques alongside the development of lower-emission manufacturing approaches. Researchers expect the facility to support the sector in reducing its carbon output, using water more efficiently, and managing financial pressures as operating costs rise.
The document raises the possibility that reduced funding could leave the ICBD without adequate capacity to sustain its support for an export sector that holds a notable place in Scotland's economy.
Positioned alongside the National Robotarium, the planned centre is expected to bring measurable advantages to the brewing and distilling industries and to the broader network of suppliers that relies on those sectors, according to Professor Chris Turney, Deputy Principal of Research and Innovation at Heriot-Watt University.
Ewan Andrew, who serves as Diageo's chief sustainability officer and co-chairs the CABD fundraising committee, noted that public backing for the initiative could draw in broader investment from across the industry and open pathways to sustained economic growth. Andrew's remarks framed Scotland's brewing and distilling sector as positioned to lead globally through a commitment to sustainability and quality. He also argued that the assessment points to the economic benefits Heriot-Watt University could bring to both Scotland and the UK, provided government funding is committed to the proposed facility.
Shona Glenn, an economist at BiGGAR Economics, told reporters that the existing facilities had passed the point where they could adequately serve their purpose, and that a sustained shortfall in investment was placing tightening constraints on the centre's capacity to underpin the industry's longer-term development. The CABD, she explained, would address this gap by delivering a purpose-built facility tailored to the research and development requirements of the sector, while also opening the door to collaboration across the industry as a whole.
Glenn added that a facility of this kind could expand the scope for research and innovation, while helping to sustain the flow of skilled professionals the industry will depend on going forward.
