Innis & Gunn
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| Location | Edinburgh, Scotland, UK | ||||||||||||||
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| Opened | 2003 | ||||||||||||||
| Parent | C&C Group | ||||||||||||||
| Website | www | ||||||||||||||
| Active beers | |||||||||||||||
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Innis & Gunn is a Scottish brewery based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was founded in 2003 by brewer Dougal Gunn Sharp.[1]
History and operations
[edit]Founder Dougal Sharp was born in Aberdeen in June 1972. He was raised in Elgin, Moray, before moving to Edinburgh aged 14. The Innis & Gunn name is derived from the middle names of both Sharp and his brother.[2] Sharp's career in alcoholic drinks began at Edinburgh’s Caledonian Brewery, with his father having led the management buy-out of the company in 1987.[3] Sharp founded Innis & Gunn in 2003.
The brewery has contract brewed in Glasgow at Tennent's Wellpark Brewery since 2014[4] and has been exported to over 35 countries.[5] In 2017, Innis & Gunn sold 2.5 million cases of beer in over 35 countries.
In late 2016, to help grow the company, Innis & Gunn raised £2.4 million through crowdfunding, surpassing its target of £1 million within 72 hours. This allowed them to purchase the Inveralmond Brewery in Perth.[6]
In 2017, the brewery signed a distribution deal in China for its flagship ale 'The Original'.[7]
In March 2026 Innis & Gunn went into administration, with the brand and intellectual property being purchased by Tennent's owners C&C Group, leading to the Perth brewery and all taprooms being shut down and all staff being made redundant.[8]
Taprooms
[edit]The first Innis & Gunn Brewery Taproom opened in Edinburgh in the summer of 2015,[9] winning the UK Casual Dining Concept Award in 2016. With a focus on craft beer and seasonal food, it later expanded to Dundee and Glasgow's Ashton Lane, the largest unit opened to date.
Varieties
[edit]Regular availability
[edit]- Original - This is the brewery's flagship beer. It is aged using bourbon casks over bourbon-infused heartwood in specialty "Oakerators" It is 6.6% alcohol by volume. At first only available as a bottled beer, it is now marketed in bottles, cans and as draught.
- Blood Red Sky - A replacement to the old rum cask beer, Blood Red Sky is aged using Jamaican rum barrels and is a part of the core range offered by Innis & Gunn. This red beer is 6.8% ABV and is available in bottled and as draught.
- Gunnpowder IPA - This India Pale Ale is 5.6% ABV and is available in cans, bottles and as draught.
- Lager Beer - Innis & Gunn Lager Beer is a craft-brewed lager, 4.6% ABV. Available in cans, bottles and as draught.
- Ossian Golden Ale brewed at Inveralmond Brewery this beer has won the Champion Beer of Scotland. 4.1% ABV. Available in cans, bottles and as draught.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Our Story - Beer Discovered by Accident - Innis and Gunn". Innis and Gunn. 13 January 2021.
- ↑ Northrop, Alasdair (7 November 2014). "The Big Profile: Dougal Sharp, Innis & Gunn". insider.co.uk. Retrieved 4 June 2026.
- ↑ The Big Interview: Dougal Sharp, Innis & Gunn's founder and master brewer. The Scotsman. 28 August 2016. Retrieved 20 October 2024.
- ↑ "Tennent's ends Innis & Gunn deal". HeraldScotland. 16 November 2018.
- ↑ "Innis & Gunn cheers exports success amid global thirst for UK beer". The Scotsman. 13 January 2021.
- ↑ "Crowdfunding secures Inveralmond Brewery takeover". BBC. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 12 October 2025.
- ↑ "Three Scottish firms making it big in China right now". Business Insider. 16 March 2018.
- ↑ "More than 100 jobs go as brewer Innis & Gunn is bought by Tennent's owner". BBC News. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 3 June 2026.
- ↑ Watterson, Kaleigh (8 July 2015). "Innis and Gunn to open first bar and restaurant". Time Out Edinburgh. Retrieved 18 April 2023.