Scots brewing army rolls out the barrels to attack UK ale market
By: JimOldfield
June 14th, 2012
By Hand-Pumped staff
June 14 2012
Three Scottish Borders brewers have teamed up to launch a UK-wide assault on the ale market, under the banner “Born in the Borders”.
In what has been hailed as a first for the Scottish drinks industry, the Scottish Borders Brewery has joined forces with Broughton Ales and cider maker Thistly Cross to pursue a drinks bundle for distributors and pub outlets, that they hope will produce a combined sales rise of up to 20 per cent.
The trio hope to build on the growing Borders craft-brewing reputation and they will begin by offering trade buyers a bundle of six casks each, of Broughton’s Merlin’s Ale, Scottish Borders Brewery’s Foxy Blonde and Thistly Cross Original cider.
The ales in the bundle will be rotated each month to cover the brewers’ entire core ranges.
The trio say they are not worried about competing with each other as they all supply quality products which bring different styles to the market.
The project comes just six months after Alloa brewer Williams Brothers was signed up to act as Morrisons’ supermarket chain’s north of the border beer buyer.
That initiative has already been hailed a huge success, with one of the first beers picked for Scotland-wide listing under the scheme – Fraoch Heather Ale – rapidly going on acquire a UK-wide listing.
