Beers from one of the UK’s most northerly brewers are being rebranded to highlight their Orcadian heritage.
The new name, Swannay Brewery, will be celebrated at a special event in Edinburgh tomorrow, when the family-run Highland Brewing Company officially sets out its plans – backed by more than £120,000 from Highlands and Islands Enterprise – to grow production and build sales activity in new markets.
New bottle labels and pump clips have been produced by a London-based design team in a revamp for core brands including Scapa Special and Island Hopping.
The Swannay Brewery range will also include a number of innovative and modern beers in both keg and bottle, with a full release scheduled for 2016.
But Highland Brewing, which has operated from Swannay Farm in the north-west corner of the Orkney mainland since 2005, said its beers would still be “instantly recognisable to customers around the world”.
The new name is expected to help the growing business align itself more closely to its Orcadian home.
Lews Hill, son of company founder and head brewer Rob Hill, said: “This is the next step in the evolution of our brand.
“We’ve been proud to produce our beers under the Highland title but we always felt that it didn’t allow us to build on our island heritage in Orkney. We’re delighted with the new design work and excited about building a genuine brand following through the Swannay Brewery name.”
He added: “Our sales have increased year-on-year and we have big plans for the future, including exporting more beers internationally.
“But we also want to engage the local market more, both here in Orkney and in the rest of the UK, and bringing the brand home to Swannay will really help us do that. ”
Edgar Balfour, development manager for marketing body Orkney Food and Drink, said: “It has always been known as the Swannay Brewery locally, and the team there has build up an incredible reputation for the quality of its beers.
“This move really highlights how much the company has grown. Orkney is a special place with some of the best food and drink products on offer anywhere in the UK, and we’re delighted that the Swannay Brewery will be using its local roots to promote its products around the world.”
The new Swannay Brewery brand will be officially launched with a “tap takeover” at Cloisters Bar in Edinburgh before being showcased at the brewery’s inaugural “Orktoberfest” at Stromness Hotel in Orkney later this week.