Former Bacardi UK operations director, Iain Lochhead, who has over 20 years of whisky industry experience, joined Horizon Proteins last year and has been providing strategic consulting.

Horizon Proteins provides sustainability solutions by transforming underutilized whisky distilling co-products into cost-effective, high-quality nutrients for the aqua and animal feed industries. The patented technology, which involves recovering protein from pot ale, liquid residue left over from the whisky-making process, is part of the strategy to develop Scotland’s circular bioeconomy.

Chairman Ian Hamilton said that “Iain’s appointment is tremendous news. He brings with him a vast knowledge of the industry that will help us drive the business forward. He was immediately excited by our technology and understood how it can revolutionize the whisky industry while at the same time bring wider sustainability benefits. Iain has already had a positive impact, in particular expanding our discussions within the industry and it is exciting to have him on board.”

Every year, the malt whisky industry in Scotland alone produces around three billion liters of pot ale. Horizon Proteins’ technology, which has undergone three large-scale industrial trials, provides environmentally and economically sustainable methods to manage it. The protein content of pot ale made it nutritionally perfect as a feed for fish, and, particularly, salmon.

Nik Willoughby, co-founder and CTO, said that “the addition of Iain to the team is clear signaling of our intent to show the market what Horizon Proteins can do. It also gives us greater capacity to explore other opportunities in this area, be dynamic and positively contribute to true sustainability both in Scotland and globally.”