An award-winning Moray brewery is going from strength to strength despite the increasingly hot competition that has grown in the region over the last few years.
While known world-wide for it’s Whisky Trail, Moray and Speyside has seen a phenomenal growth in craft brewers with four companies given local, national and international customers a superb choice.
One of the youngest is the Speyside Craft Brewery, which was only established on the Greshop industrial estate in Forres for just over 18 months.
That was established by Seb Jones, a Chemistry graduate of Aberdeen University who used his knowledge of the chemical processes behind beer making to concentrate on that industry rather than the traditional route of finding employment in the oil industry.
Armed with a head full of ideas, Seb discussed his plans with Moray’s Business Gateway – and the support he received there and from the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust got the show on the road.
Since launching the business has picked up several prestigious business awards including a Gold at the Grampian Food Forum awards earlier this year and the ‘Young Shining Star’ award at the Highlands and Islands Food and Drink awards in 2013.
Catching up with Seb at the recent ‘Piping Hot Forres’ event where the brewery enjoyed a steady stream of visitors to their stand, the entrepreneur told insideMoray: “Feedback on our beers has been very good and most people seem to enjoy it, we have had huge support from throughout Moray and beyond.
“I think people just like to have a brewery in their town and for our part it’s just great to be based in a town that is so welcoming.”
Products such as Randolph’s Leap, Bottlenose Bitter, Moray IPA and Bow Fiddle Blonde is being shipped throughout Scotland with the brewery also attracting international interest.
On the aspect of local competition with three other craft brewers in Moray, Seb remains philosophical – insisting that they inspire each other.
Seb said: “Competition is great – put it this way, the way that the beer market is at the moment one brewery could not possibly satisfy the entire market, that would be impossible.
“There are more breweries now in Moray in a developing market and at the end of the day competition fuels progress.”
Speyside Craft Brewery’s products can be obtained from most good free-house outlets in Moray while the brewery itself has a shop attached which is open most days in the week including Saturday’s from 11am to 3pm.