Scotland has a golden heritage in brewing and distilling. That heritage has helped forge both industries into the key economic drivers of today. Last year Scotch whisky exports were worth around £5.4bn to the nation – and £7.1bn to the UK as a whole – while brewing supports more than 8,000 jobs.

Heriot-Watt has long played a significant role in this success. It goes back over 120 years to lager pioneer Emil Westergaard, who was appointed our first Professor of Brewing in 1903.

From our historic Chambers Street location he led the way with unique research that pushed the boundaries of what brewing could achieve and paved the way for Edinburgh to become home to a host of flourishing breweries.

In distilling, Professor Ronnie Martin, Production Director of United Distillers – the forerunner of Diageo – was appointed our first Visiting Professor. Together with United Distillers’ Dr John Philp, he introduced a new lecture module which led to a new course that offered practical training for Heriot-Watt students on distilling.

That was just the beginning. Heriot-Watt continued to push the boundaries further throughout the 20th century........

© Herald Scotland