From brewing in a cart shed in 1998 to building a new brewery ten years later, Black Isle has always been about making world class organic beer. Not only because we love great beer, but to make a statement that it can be done using naturally grown barley and hops, supporting organic farmers and growers who also care for the environment.
On our small 130 acre farm we have worked to increase biodiversity, planting over 7000 native broadleaf trees, reinstating hedgerows, digging new ponds and creating wetlands.
We were pioneers in organic brewing and still lead the field with what we believe to be one of the most diverse range of organic beers anywhere in the world.
We now have 2 bars in Inverness and Fort William and will add more in future. We also have a 54-bed boutique hostel, en-suite rooms above the bars, a self-catering flat, and the most fabulous Shepherd’s hut hand built with dead trees from the farm where you can stay and enjoy Black Isle life.
We employ over 50 people from brewing to growing organic and biodynamic salads and veg for the bars, including a great team both front and back of house serving the freshest handmade pizzas and beer.
We want you to drink delicious fresh organic beer and at the same time in a passive, enjoyable, healthy way you too will be supporting organic growers and producers and the rich biologically diverse and beautiful world we live in.
Our Environment
David’s experience running wilderness-based businesses in the depths of the Scottish Highlands, prior to setting up the brewery, instilled in him the importance of nature as is it. A perfect cycle, that when left to its own devices will provide us with more than enough of the things that we need. Living alongside our natural environment, rather than attempting to control it, or bend it to our will.
We understand that for many people ‘organic’ is not a tangible metric. They do not understand its relevance or importance to our natural world. For us, it is a way of life. Nothing to do with marketing, nothing to do with a sales angle. We live on an organic farm and everything we do here, from growing vegetables to rearing livestock, is done utilising sympathetic organic farming methods. Here we try to live and work with the land, rather than on it and against it.
This translates to our beers, which are always and without exception, made with 100% organic ingredients. It’s what we believe in and we believe our beer and our environment are better for it.
Our Commitments
We’ve taken our first steps to reaching Net Zero emissions by becoming carbon neutral, working with Climate Partner to support protection of the Amazon rainforest in Pará, Brazil, as well as the development of wind energy in Salodi, India.
We've signed the SME Climate Commitment, pledging to halve our greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and achieve Net Zero emissions by 2040. In doing so, we are proud to be recognised by the United Nations Race to Zero campaign, and join governments, businesses, cities, regions and universities around the world that share the same mission.
We have also pledged our support for the Better Business Act. This is a petition to Government which seeks to amend section 172 of The Companies Act, to ensure that company directors are responsible for advancing the interests of shareholders alongside those of wider society and the environment. This would enshrine in law the requirement for all businesses to take responsibility for their environmental and societal impact.
