Struan Mackie

Struan Mackie’s career in Scotch whisky began with a connection to the northern Highlands that preceded his professional involvement in the spirits industry. A native of Caithness, Scotland, Mackie eventually left his home region to pursue an education and a business career, only to return with plans to establish a distillery.

Mackie attended Thurso High School from 2005 to 2011 before entering the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. There, he studied finance and business enterprise, earning his Bachelor of Arts honours degree in 2015. His university activities included the Strathclyde Whisky Society and investment and entrepreneurship organizations. During his studies, he also operated a whisky business, gaining practical experience in an industry that would eventually become the focus of his professional life.

Following university, Mackie developed his career in business consulting and entrepreneurship. He worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and subsequently advised businesses, including British spirits and nonalcoholic beverage companies, on commercial growth. His professional experience also included consulting for technology startups in London. These positions provided experience in business development, financial management, and the practical requirements of establishing and expanding commercial enterprises.

While working in London, Mackie maintained his interest in Scotch whisky and the possibility of returning to Scotland. In the autumn of 2019, he met his friend Alex MacDonald at a Starbucks near Liverpool Street station, where they discussed their consulting careers and future ambitions. Mackie raised the possibility of returning to Scotland to establish a distillery, an idea that developed into a serious business proposal during their subsequent discussions. MacDonald, a Canadian-born graduate of the University of St Andrews, brought experience in business development and international sales, complementing Mackie’s financial background and knowledge of the Scottish spirits industry.

The two men began planning a distillery that would produce small-batch gin, rum, and single malt Scotch whisky. Their objective was to establish a business in Caithness, a region with a long distilling heritage but relatively few contemporary whisky producers. In January 2020, they established their company, beginning the formal process of turning their plans into a working distillery. The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic complicated investment raising, property searches, and the development of their proposed operation. Yet Mackie used the time to undertake an extensive search across Caithness for suitable premises. He eventually identified a property at Forss Business and Energy Park near Thurso. The site had previously formed part of a United States Navy radio station associated with Cold War communications. Although the building had not originally been designed for distilling, it had the necessary backbones. North Point Distillery began operations in 2020 with a small team and a single still, establishing a new spirits business on Scotland’s northern mainland.

The company's initial production concentrated on rum, reflecting the founders’ interest in the historical connections between northern Scotland and the Caribbean. North Point Pilot Rum became one of its earliest products, followed by additional rum expressions and Crosskirk Bay Gin. Mackie and MacDonald also developed the distillery around environmental considerations, emphasizing efficient equipment, sustainable production practices, and responsible resource management. These principles became part of North Point’s business identity as its production capacity and commercial reach expanded.

Although rum and gin provided the distillery’s initial commercial foundation, Scotch whisky remained central to Mackie’s ambitions. Working with head distiller Greg Benson, the company developed Dalclagie Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky, drawing inspiration from the historic Dalclagie mill and croft near the Forss Water. The production program incorporated heritage barley varieties, extended fermentation, wooden washbacks, and carefully selected distillation techniques. Benson employed Kveik yeast and made spirit cuts according to flavor rather than maximum alcohol yield, establishing a distinctive approach to the distillery’s new-make whisky.

In 2023, North Point publicly introduced Dalclagie as its Highland single malt whisky brand, following more than two years of work on its whisky production program. At the same time, Mackie also established a cask program incorporating American bourbon barrels and Spanish sherry casks, creating opportunities to develop different maturation characteristics as its whisky stocks aged.

Struan Mackie’s contribution to Highland whisky extends beyond establishing another distillery. His career demonstrates how financial expertise, commercial planning, and an understanding of regional identity can contribute to the development of a contemporary Scotch whisky business. From a university whisky enterprise to the establishment of North Point and Dalclagie, his professional progression has connected entrepreneurship with the traditions of Scottish distilling. The enduring measure of that work will be found in the development of Dalclagie’s maturing whisky and the continued growth of the distillery he helped establish in his native Caithness.

Sources:

  1. North Point Distillery official website, northpointdistillery.com

  2. LinkedIn, “Struan Mackie Profile”, uk.linkedin.com/in/struanmackie

  3. Whiskybase, “North Point Distillery – History, Facts & Whiskies,” author not identified, date not specified, whiskybase.com/whiskies/distillery/94650/about

  4. Caithness Chamber of Commerce, “Rum Launch for Northern Distillery,” Executive Magazine, November 2020, caithnesschamber.com

Contributed by Tracy McLemore, Fairview,Tennessee USA