Orkney based Swannay Brewery has continued its winning ways at the annual Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) Scotland competition.
Swannay came away with three awards for its cask beers:
- Gold for Orkney IPA in the class for premium pale ales (4.4% ABV to 5.4% ABV)
- Silver for Scapa Special (bitters up to 4.4.% ABV)
- Bronze for Island Hopping (session IPA up to 4.3% ABV)
For winning the gold prize, Orkney IPA will now move forward to the UK-wide SIBA competition finals, to be held at BeerX, Liverpool, in March 2022.
The latest awards take Swannay’s haul of national and international accolades to well over 150 since brewing started in 2006.
General manager, Lewis Hill, said: “The last 18 months have been somewhat challenging, so to receive recognition for our beers in a competition like this gives us all a great uplift.
“To win not one but three awards at the same time also gives us confidence that we are making good beers across the range. We have the fundamentals right. Cheers to everyone at Swannay.”
The brewery was founded in 2004 by Lewis’s father, Rob. They’re currently upgrading old cow sheds into a landmark brewery, with tasting room and full visitor experience.
Covid cut the pub-focused brewery’s sales in half, but pivotal investments throughout the pandemic have put the business on a strong footing. It purchased plant and machinery, including a canning line. There was also financial support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Clydesdale Bank.
