A BREWING TRADITION - REDISCOVERED

Old Allangrange Some remnants of brewing were discovered during renovations to Old Allangrange. This fine 18th century house lies in one of the first areas to be cultivated on the Black Isle, and many of the places names in the area are derived from the Gaelic language, thus Allangrange, or Allann-Chrain, translates as "a fertile field of corn".

The early statistical account of 1790 states that the area "yields a much greater quantity of grain that is sufficient to support the inhabitants" which "is found to be of superior quality to the brewer".

At one time there were three breweries in Inverness and another in Cromarty - sadly they no longer exist. But, carrying on that tradition, Black Isle Brewery Ltd - small and intensely independent - is dedicated to producing quality beer in the heart of the Scottish Highlands.


David Gladwin, founder of the brewery.David Gladwin is the founder and Managing Director of The Black Isle Brewery

"The Black Isle Brewery started in 1998 when I set out to make top quality beers that could stand among the best in the country and to do it using organically produced barley and hops. The labelling and packaging is deliberately contemporary and styled to, in some small way, help dispel the sometime commonly held notion that 'organics' is all about slightly cranky, no-knickered, tepee dwellers living off brown rice and lentils.

Our sales have grown 50% each year and we now sell the length of the country either directly or through wholesalers. The Brewery has a share in Hootananny, a new Scottish Ceilidh Bar in Inverness with live traditional music every night of the week. We also have shop here at the brewery that we plan to develop over the next few years.

There are 5 full-time and 2 part-time staff some of whom you'll see on the brewery tour and we keep the whole process in-house from a grain of malted barley right through to the finished product. Although the bottling and labelling is very labour intensive it does have its advantages, including the freshness of the beer, quality control and flexibility, and the added interest for those who tour the brewery.

We are passionate about the association between food and beer. Beer is healthy and it's good for you. It's full of vitamin B and reduces the risk of heart disease thereby helping you live longer and it should be considered a vital part of any diet. I'll drink to that!"

 Old Allangrange, Munlochy, Ross-shire, IV8 8NZ, SCOTLAND
 Tel: +44 (0)1463 811871, Fax: +44 (0)1463 811875