HOW IT ALL BEGAN
As Nature Intended
Black Isle was started by David Gladwin in 1998. An unemployed beer lover, he set out to make world-class beer using barley and hops, grown on organic farms, without the use of destructive chemicals.
Today we can brew up to 10,000 litres a day packaged in bottles, casks and kegs. We ship beer all over Scotland, the UK and around the world from Norway to Japan.
Famous for Malting Barley
So much so, that our home here on Allangrange translates as ‘a fertile field of corn’ in Gaelic. On this very farm in 1790, Sir Roderick Mackenzie recorded that our land was first cultivated for growing barley because it was of “superior quality for the brewer and distiller.” Thanks Rod!
We tend the farm along with helpful WWOOFERs, who travel here from around the world to enjoy our organic home.
OUR HOME AT ALLANGRANGE FARM
Since brewing our first bottle of beer, we’ve bought 125 acres and turned it into a working organic farm. We don’t have quite enough for the amount we need, so we buy barley from other organic farms to ensure we’re always organic.
Happily grazing in our fields, you’ll find 200 black Hebridean sheep that were rustled 10 years ago from Culloden Battlefield. In the field next door, we also have our beautiful jersey cow, who provides milk for our tea and coffee. We complete the sustainable cycle by feeding the spent grain from our mash tun to the livestock, hens and horses.
On the farm, our glowing garden grows herbs, fruit and vegetables, which make their way into our beer, and our bars in Inverness and Fort William.
At Black Isle Brewery, we combine a love for nature and organic processes with the creativity of the contemporary, craft beer world.
