Heriot-Watt's £35m Brewing and Distilling Centre Could Support 1,570 Scottish Jobs, 260 of Them New

A proposed £35m Centre for Advanced Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University could be supporting 1,570 jobs in Scotland within ten years, in a new assessment by BiGGAR Economics. After BiGGAR allows for activity that could happen without the investment, the gain is a net additional economic impact of £53.4 million GVA/year and 260 jobs. Those jobs are a 10-year projection, and they depend on money that has not been raised, namely £25.3m from industry as well as £9.7m in public investment. The centre itself is still proposed, so no jobs exist from it yet. For Metaintro readers who want to work in Scotch whisky, brewing or gin, this guide sets out what the assessment found, what the new building would contain, and which Heriot-Watt courses lead into the sector.

What Did the BiGGAR Economics Assessment Find?

The headline figures come from the Economic Impact Assessment of the Centre for Advanced Brewing and Distilling, a September 2026 BiGGAR Economics report to Heriot-Watt that was reported on October 12, 2026. By year ten of operations, the new centre could support 1,570 jobs. Without the investment, the existing ICBD could support 1,310 jobs by year ten in BiGGAR's counterfactual, as its facilities decline.

Two of the numbers measure different things, so it helps to keep them apart. The 1,570 is the total the centre could support, while the net additional impact is £53.4 million GVA/year and 260 jobs. For comparison, the existing ICBD supported nearly 1,180 jobs in 2024/25. Coverage such as the Daily Business report pairs 1,570 jobs with an additional £53.4m a year, but in the assessment itself only 260 of the jobs are additional.

The same quotes from Heriot-Watt's Professor Chris Turney, fundraising co-chair Ewan Andrew and BiGGAR Economics director Shona Glenn appear in both the Daily Business report and The Edinburgh Reporter's article. The economic figures in both are conditional. The investment could generate the extra output, and neither report gives a construction, opening or hiring date.

Where Does the £35m Have to Come From?

The university is looking for £9.7 million in public investment as well as £25.3 million from industry, and the proposed £35m funding mix also counts on support from industry, philanthropy, public investment and in-kind contributions.

In November 2025, Heriot-Watt named Ewan Andrew and Norman Murray as co-chairs of a fundraising committee tasked with helping it raise the £35m. Andrew is Diageo's President Global Supply Chain and Procurement and Chief Sustainability Officer, and Murray is a Heriot-Watt alumnus who was Chairman of the premium spirits company The Edrington Group.

Andrew linked the outcome to government backing, pointing to the potential value to Scotland and the UK that Heriot-Watt University can deliver with a commitment from government to back this new world-class facility.

What Happens If the Money Is Not Raised?

The assessment carries a warning. If the money is not raised, it will become increasingly difficult for Heriot-Watt's existing facilities to support the sector effectively as they become less able to meet student and industry demand. Without the new building, the existing centre is in danger of lagging behind.

The existing centre is the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD), which Heriot-Watt created as a purpose-built facility in 1989 and which was officially opened in 1990. When it opened its facilities included a pilot brewery, pilot distillery, a cereal cooker and micro maltings. Teaching in brewing and distilling at Heriot-Watt began in 1903, which led to the establishment of the ICBD in 1989.

However, the Centre’s facilities and equipment are no longer fit for purpose and lack of investment is increasingly hampering its ability to ensure the future success of the sector, Shona Glenn, Director at BiGGAR Economics, said.

What Would the New Centre Actually Contain?

The new building is the Centre for Advanced Brewing and Distilling, or CABD, and it would be located right next to the National Robotarium. Heriot-Watt plans it as a net-zero living laboratory with facilities for industry partners to test and adopt sustainable methods.

The planned equipment includes the following.

• Plug-and-play micro-maltings and distillery testbeds.
• Advanced product quality and sensory laboratories.
• Precision-equipped raw materials and fermentation suites.
• Cutting-edge analytical and digital-twin simulation tools.

The centre would also offer carbon capture and renewable energy integration, a sensory suite and a dedicated entrepreneurial hub to support enterprise formation and growth, which would also support startups, spinouts, and SMEs in bringing innovative products to market.

The challenges facing the industry include reducing the large volumes of water used to create Scotch whisky, and helping the sector reach net zero by 2040.

Which Skills Would the Centre Train People In?

Skills are a central part of the case. Under the 2025 launch plan, the centre would train the next generation through programmes including Graduate Apprenticeships, executive education, and research-led industry collaborations.

Heriot-Watt's talent plans cover three routes. They are new undergraduate and postgraduate programmes developed to meet evolving industry needs, work-based learning with industry-led, flexible education pathways delivering job-ready skills, and scholarships to widen access. A new scholarship programme is planned in honour of Professor Sir Geoff Palmer, the brewing scientist who helped set up Heriot-Watt's ICBD.

Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not, Professor Sir Geoff Palmer said of the planned scholarships, according to Heriot-Watt's campaign page.

In November 2025, Heriot-Watt said its teaching included its first MSc in Advanced Sustainability for Brewing and Distilling.

What Has the Existing Centre Already Done for Scottish Jobs?

Heriot-Watt also points to the existing centre's record. ICBD graduates have founded nearly 30 of Scotland's active brewing and distilling businesses, and in 2024 to 2025 those businesses added an estimated £79.4 million to the Scottish economy and supported the creation of 520 jobs, in figures given by Professor Chris Turney, deputy principal of research and innovation at Heriot-Watt.

The existing centre has been in place for almost 40 years. Its alumni include Martin Dickie, a co-founder of BrewDog, Kirsty Black of Arbikie and David Wilkinson of Edinburgh Gin, all named among the industry's leading figures the ICBD has trained.

Industry projects show the kind of work the centre does with companies. Edinburgh Gin and Heriot-Watt created Seaside Gin with coastal botanicals, giving students key product development experience, and Verdant Spirits, which the campaign page calls Dundee's first distillery in 200 years, worked with the university on a panela-based Scottish rum.

How Do You Study Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt Now?

The BSc (Hons) Brewing and Distilling runs full time on campus in Edinburgh, under UCAS code C980, over 3-4 years with a September start. Heriot-Watt calls it the only undergraduate programme of its kind in the UK.

Fees for the September 2027 intake are published. For students from Scotland the fee is Paid by SAAS, students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland pay £10,050, and international students (which includes EU applicants without Pre-Settled or Settled status) pay £26,840. Eligible students from England, Northern Ireland or Wales can apply for the Heriot-Watt University Bursary (up to £3,100 per year).

The standard entry requirements for September 2027 include these routes.

• Highers, AABB (over two sittings), which must include Maths and one of Biology, Human Biology or Chemistry, with one required subject at A.
• Highers, AABBC (over two sittings), which must include Maths at C, and one of Biology, Human Biology or Chemistry at A.
• A-Levels, BBC, which must include Maths and either Biology or Chemistry, with required subjects at BB.
• International Baccalaureate, 29 points, which must include Maths and either Biology or Chemistry, with both required subjects at Higher Level 5.

Other standard routes are a BTEC Extended Diploma at DMM, an HNC with A in the graded unit, or an HND with AB / BA in the graded unit, each in a relevant science subject including sufficient Maths, and Biology or Chemistry. Applicants must also meet the University-wide National 5/GCSE (or equivalent) English and Maths requirements.

Lower minimum requirements apply under the university's Fair Access Policy to some Scottish and rest-of-UK applicants who live in an area within the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation lowest 20% (SIMD20) (Scotland) or a POLAR4 Quintile 1 region (rest of UK), or who are care experienced, and exceptions can be made for some Scottish students with grades above minimum but below standard. Students use an on-site brewery, distillery, and rectification laboratory, and one graduate quoted on the course page credits the degree with helping them win a role as a brewer at Tennents.

Can Working Professionals Study Brewing and Distilling Online?

Yes. The online MSc Brewing and Distilling is self-paced and aimed at senior technical, operational, and management roles across the brewing, distilling and malting sectors. It has eight taught courses and a research project, typically studied over three years, with January and September entry points.

Each course takes around 150 hours of study. For 2026/2027 the fee is £1,215 per course, the dissertation fee is £2,595 and the total is £12,315, paid course by course. Heriot-Watt alumni qualify for 20% off their programme fees.

The courses run from Cereals, Malting and Mashing through Distilling and Whisky Maturation to Management in the Food and Beverage Industries. Heriot-Watt welcomes applications from both science graduates and experienced industry professionals.

How Big Is the Scotch Whisky Workforce the Centre Would Serve?

The industry around the centre is large. More than 41,000 people are supported by the Scotch Whisky industry in Scotland and a further 25,000 across the UK, and there are 156 operating Scotch Whisky distilleries across Scotland (Sept 2026), on the current figures page of the Scotch Whisky Association.

Exports are a big part of the industry. In 2025, Scotch Whisky exports were worth £5.36bn, and the industry provides £7.1bn in gross value added (GVA) to the UK economy (2022). The Scotch Whisky Association count covers people supported across the whole Scotch industry, while the BiGGAR projection is a separate estimate for one proposed centre, so the two should not be added together.

How Far Has the Campaign Got Since 2025?

The £35m campaign was launched on 2 June 2025. Early coverage used another name for the same project, the Centre for Sustainable Brewing and Distilling (CSBD), a name the 2025 DRAM Scotland report uses.

The Scottish Parliament held a members' business debate on the plan on 12 November 2025, after Gordon MacDonald MSP lodged motion S6M-18527, which welcomes Heriot-Watt's commitment "by seeking to raise £35 million" to build the centre, there called the Centre for Sustainable Brewing and Distilling. Minister for Higher and Further Education Ben Macpherson said that through the proposed centre, Heriot-Watt University will have the capacity to do even more, in remarks quoted on the Heriot-Watt news page. A debate is not a funding decision, and the university is still looking for £9.7 million in public investment.

The university was still actively fundraising in May 2026, when Edinburgh hosted the 9th Worldwide Distilled Spirits Conference with more than 700 delegates. The ICBD, led by Professor Dawn Maskell, presented research there on sustainable Scotch whisky fermentation and the resilience of malting barley. The new building is the CABD, though The Edinburgh Reporter's write-up calls the planned centre the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling, which is the name of the existing one.

What This Means for Job Seekers in Scotland, and What Should You Do Next?

The 1,570 jobs are a year-ten projection that includes 260 net additional jobs, tied to £25.3m from industry as well as £9.7m in public investment. The Scotch Whisky industry already supports more than 41,000 people in Scotland.

• School leavers. Check your grades against the BSc entry requirements, where Maths plus a science (Biology or Chemistry, or Human Biology at Highers) is required, along with the University-wide National 5/GCSE (or equivalent) English and Maths requirements.
• People already in the industry. The online MSc prepares you for senior technical, operational, and management roles, with pay for one such job covered in how much a brewmaster makes, and it is designed to fit around your shifts, family life and career. Ask your employer, since the course page lists employer sponsorship as a funding route.
• Founders. The planned dedicated entrepreneurial hub is part of the plan that still needs funding, so treat it as future support.
• Everyone. Follow updates on the Proofing the future campaign page, which is where campaign milestones are posted.

Related Articles

• Employers Say New Grads Arrive Missing the Basics and Here Is What to Learn First
• Universities Are Launching AI Degrees This Fall and Graduates Are Asking What They Buy
• How the Dutch Are Solving the Youth Jobs Crisis and What the UK Can Learn
• The UK Is Racing to Track Teens Slipping Out of Work and Training
• Skills for Your Manufacturing Resume
• How to Get Machinist Certification and Advance Your Manufacturing Career
• McLaren Plans to Double Its UK Factory Workforce as Engine Building Comes In House
• Workers Without a Degree Are Having Their Best Job Market in Years

People Also Asked

Q: Are there 1,570 brewing and distilling jobs at Heriot-Watt now?

A: No, the figure is a projection that the proposed centre could support 1,570 jobs in Scotland by year ten, of which 260 jobs are net additional, if the money is raised, and no hiring date has been given.

Q: How much money does Heriot-Watt need for the new centre?

A: The total is £35m, and the university is looking for £9.7 million in public investment as well as £25.3 million from industry.

Q: Can I study brewing and distilling in Scotland today?

A: Yes, Heriot-Watt offers a campus BSc (Hons) Brewing and Distilling in Edinburgh and a self-paced online MSc Brewing and Distilling with January and September starts.

Stay ahead of the market. Metaintro brings together 50M jobs in one place. Create a free profile and start your search today.