Sainsbury’s Embraces Craft Beer Phenomenon With Innovative New Scottish Bottles

01 Sep 2016 --- Craft beer lovers are to given a much broader choice of specialty ales as Sainsbury’s collaborates with more Scottish breweries to extend its range and include chocolate and coffee stout, grapefruit infused IPAs, honey ales and much more.

A raft of Scottish craft beers will be on the shelves of 97 Sainsbury’s stores in Scotland as the supermarket signs a deal with new breweries to further enhance its craft alcohol lines. Coming on board will be three small Scottish breweries, West Brewery, Tempest and Isle of Skye.

Sainsbury’s has embraced the Scottish craft beer trend for a while and already works closely with 18 local breweries including Harviestoun, William Brothers and Cairngorm Brewery, which are all launching new products with the supermarket.

Currently the craft ale category is in double digit growth at Sainsbury’s and these partnerships are going from strength to strength. As it grows, Sainsbury’s has new opportunities to extend its range from existing suppliers. These new additions, including 14 which will be first to market, will allow customers to choose from a wider array of beer styles including more than 100 local beers and ciders.

“The appetite for craft beers amongst consumers is growing rapidly. Customers want a beer with real character and they want to experiment with their purchases so Sainsbury’s commitment to stocking Scottish products is really encouraging and we’re proud to be a part of the announcement. At Isle of Skye Brewing we offer something truly unique, from the smooth taste of Skye Red to the creamy Skye Gold and our fruity Skye Blaven – all of which show strong growth year on year. Following wider trends seen in the food and drink market we know that provenance is really important to customers and craft beer is no exception,” says Kenny Webster, managing director of Isle of Skye Brewing.

The new range will launch in store just in time for Scotland Food & Drink Fortnight, a nationwide celebration of Scotland’s produce and those that make it starting from September 3. 

“The Scottish craft beer industry is booming, and the innovation across Scotland is great to see, with new high quality, premium products, coming to market all the time. As we get ready to shine a spotlight on Scotland’s larder during Scotland Food and Drink Fortnight, it’s fantastic to hear how supermarkets are increasing their range of craft beers, ales and ciders, working with local companies to help them expand their businesses and to provide a wider range of Scottish produce for consumers to enjoy responsibly,” says Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity Fergus Ewing MSP.

His sentiments are echoed by Scotland Food & Drink chief executive James Withers who added: "Craft beer is a real star player in Scotland’s food and drink story just now. We’re about to kick off Scottish Food & Drink Fortnight, so it is a great time to see Sainsbury’s, one of the biggest customers of Scottish produce, embracing the craft beer phenomenon.”

“It feels like the number of Scottish independent breweries is growing every week. They’re producing a fantastic variety of beers for consumers increasingly looking for quality and variety.  Scotland’s reputation as a land of food & drink continues to strengthen and I expect our craft beer producers to make a huge contribution to this in the coming years."