Meet the awarding-winning Scottish university student taking distillery business to volcanic ‘ocean paradise’

A postgraduate student at a Scottish university has scooped a prestigious entrepreneurial award and funding to help open a new distillery in Hawaii.

Ethan Wang, a Canadian student at Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University, is looking to open a distillery on the scenic volcanic island of Maui. He is said to have been in “total shock” after winning cash and support from an industry membership organisation to help make his idea happen.

The award, called the Worshipful Company of Distillers’ Entrepreneurship Award, is designed to help students apply their science in the real world and is run jointly by Heriot-Watt’s International Centre for Brewing and Distilling (ICBD) and the Worshipful Company of Distillers, an historic City of London trade association.

Maui is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago.

Wang is from Victoria in British Columbia, where he studied for a bachelor of commerce at the University of Victoria. He first visited Hawaii during his early career in accountancy and finance and got married there in 2011. Since then, he has visited Maui, the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, every year.

“Maui is an ocean paradise and is one of the finest places in the world to get botanical ingredients and clean flavours,” said Wang, who is currently studying online with ICBD to complete a master of science degree in brewing and distilling. “Winning this award was such great news to wake up to in Hawaii. It will help me buy additional expensive tools for flavour extraction - and having an experienced industry body to guide me with my planning will be a huge help,” he added.

Wang said the £5,000 prize money from the award would be an important addition to the personal savings he is investing to open the distillery, which will produce spirits including gin, vodka, blended whisky, Japanese shochu - a spirit typically distilled from ingredients including rice, barley and sweet potatoes - and Korean soju, also traditionally made from rice.

David Jenkins, assistant professor in brewing and distilling at ICBD, said: “Ethan’s plans for his Hawaiian distillery are incredibly exciting and it’s fantastic to help fund his vision. Jumping from a science degree to the real world can be challenging - so our focus is on helping students apply what they learn to their own entrepreneurial ideas. There are always new opportunities in the drinks industry - and we look forward to seeing Ethan’s business grow.”

Heriot-Watt student Ethan Wang on a beach in Maui, Hawaii.

The Worshipful Company of Distillers was formed in 1638 when King Charles I granted the company a Royal Charter. The organisation is a City Livery Company - a trade guild that once acted as a modern day trade association, but whose powers to regulate alcoholic spirits were discontinued in the 19th century. Today it focuses on industry philanthropy, education, networking and fellowship.

Lorne MacKillop of the WCD said: “Education is an important part of our role and we support a number of awards and scholarships in the science of distilling. These are designed to help students achieve excellence in their craft and apply their knowledge to real-world businesses and innovations. We were hugely impressed with Ethan’s submission for our Heriot-Watt University award and are delighted to support him in his new venture.”