Creating growth and opportunity
A living laboratory for industry, innovation and talent
The Centre for Advanced Brewing and Distilling will be a living laboratory for the future of the industry: a low-carbon, high-performance environment where research, teaching, enterprise and industry collaboration come together. Designed to support practical progress, the Centre will give industry, students, researchers and entrepreneurs the space, expertise and confidence to test ideas, strengthen productivity, develop talent and unlock new opportunities for sustainable growth. More than a building, it will be a platform for partnership; connecting established businesses, emerging ventures, supply chain partners, policymakers and global expertise around the shared challenges and opportunities shaping the future of the sector.
Net-Zero Design
A Living Blueprint for Innovation
Sustainability isn’t an afterthought, it’s the foundation of the CABD. From the very fabric of the building to its energy systems, the CABD will be a living laboratory for net-zero solutions in production environments.
Constructed using low-carbon materials and integrated with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies, the CABD’s infrastructure will actively reduce its environmental impact while serving as a model for industry partners seeking sustainable transformation.
Key Sustainability Elements:
• Low-Carbon Concrete & Recycled Steel: Core materials sourced for minimal environmental impact.
• Integrated Carbon Capture: CCS technology directly embedded into the building design.
• Energy Efficiency: Renewable energy sources, including green hydrogen and solar integration, powering key testbeds.
Micro Maltings, Brewery & Distillery
Flexible Innovation from Grain to Glass
At the heart of the CABD lies a flexible, plug-and-play production space, designed to give researchers, students, and industry partners unparalleled access to state-of-the-art brewing and distilling equipment.
This highly adaptable space will allow experimentation with sustainable energy inputs, raw material innovation, and production efficiency, giving industry collaborators the confidence to trial new methods before full-scale implementation.
Key Facility Highlights:
- Micro Maltings: Small-scale, flexible malting setups for testing grain quality and sustainable processing.
- Experimental Brewery: A fully equipped testbed for small-batch brewing experiments, emphasising sustainable energy and water use.
- Flexible Distillery Suite: Plug-and-play distillation units for spirits innovation, including whisky, gin, rum and tequila, with precise control over energy inputs.
Product Quality Laboratory
Ensuring Consistency, Resilience, and Excellence
The CABD’s Product Quality Laboratory is engineered to help producers achieve unmatched product excellence while aligning with sustainability goals. This precision-focused space provides access to industry-standard tools for quality control, product refinement, and batch consistency testing, all underpinned by sustainability metrics.
By simulating real-world production scenarios, this lab enables businesses to explore new ways of improving product quality without excessive resource consumption.
Key Equipment Features:
- Advanced Analytical Chemistry Equipment: Precision tools for consistent batch testing.
- Dissolved Oxygen Sensors: Ensuring freshness and shelf-life stability.
- Advanced Filtration Testing: For sustainable filtration and clarity optimisation.
Product Innovation Lab
Pioneering Innovation for New Markets
The CABD’s Innovation Lab is designed to explore and advance sustainable production techniques across a diverse range of emerging and evolving product categories. This adaptable space will provide industry partners and researchers with the tools to experiment with new raw materials, fermentation techniques, and resource-efficient distillation processes, ensuring quality, consistency, and environmental responsibility remain central to product innovation. Engineered to support both traditional craftsmanship and modern advancements, the lab offers a controlled, sustainability-focused environment where producers can test innovative approaches without compromising product integrity. Its flexible design ensures responsiveness to shifting market trends, making it equally suited for established categories seeking greener methods and new spirits exploring premium positioning.
Key Equipment Features Include:
- Adaptive Raw Material Processing Tools: Designed for sustainable extraction and preparation of diverse ingredient bases.
- Small-Batch Fermenters: Precision fermenters for controlled trials with variable yeast strains and fermentation conditions.
- Energy-Efficient Distillation Units: Advanced stills supporting low-carbon distillation techniques adaptable to multiple product types. By enabling innovation without risk, the CABD’s Innovation Lab will empower the industry to explore new growth opportunities, drive sustainable practices, and strengthen our partners' leadership in global beverage innovation.
Sensory Suite
Mastering the Science of Aroma and Flavour
Crafting exceptional products isn’t just about process, it’s about experience. The Sensory Suite at the CABD will offer a state-of-the-art environment for detailed sensory analysis, empowering producers to explore aroma, flavour, and mouthfeel with scientific precision.
Designed with controlled lighting, soundproofing, and environmental controls, this space will eliminate external variables, allowing for pure, data-driven sensory analysis that supports product innovation and quality assurance.
Key Features:
- Controlled Booths: Individual tasting spaces with precise lighting and airflow controls.
- Digital Feedback Systems: Real-time data capture for sensory panels.
- Flavour Wheel Analysis Tools: Aligning sensory data with global flavour profiling standards.
Raw Materials Lab
Exploring the Future of Sustainable Ingredients
The Raw Materials Lab at the CABD will be a dynamic space dedicated to exploring the building blocks of brewing and distilling. From drought-resistant grains to novel ingredient pairings, this lab will focus on sustainable raw material sourcing and ingredient innovation.
Equipped with advanced analytical tools, it will empower industry partners to test ingredient quality, resilience, and sustainability metrics before production.
Key Equipment & Capabilities:
- Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectrometers: For rapid grain composition analysis.
- Advanced Materials Assessment Lab: Appraising material consistency and yield optimisation.
- Lab-Scale Wort Production: Small-batch mashing equipment for ingredient trials.
"The Centre will take industry partnership further, creating the facilities and expertise the sector needs to remain resilient, competitive and future-ready."
Professor Dawn Maskell, Director of the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, Heriot-Watt University
We unite heritage and innovation to protect what makes brewing and distilling distinctive.
We help industry build resilience with the skills, insight and confidence to test, adapt and invest.
We connect talent, research and partnership to create long-term growth and opportunity.
