Innis & Gunn pumps £3.1m into Perth brewery acquisition

The purchase was funded entirely by capital raised through Innis & Gunn's BeerBond and will allow the firm to expand its output and reach without having to build a new facility from scratch. The new brewery will be called the Innis & Gunn Inveralmond Brewery.

Investment will focus on flavour experimentation and Innis & Gunn will equip the brewery with a new oak barrel maturation warehouse and Innis & Gunn's infusion technology, which is already used to flavour ales with oak, bergamot and coffee.

New 'Hop Gunns' equipment is also set to be installed at the site to maximise aroma in certain beers, by using a technique that amplifies the qualities of dry-hopping. The installation of a new small bottling line is also being looked into for 2017.

Founder of Innis & Gunn​

Founder and master brewer at Innis and Gunn, Dougal Gunn Sharp, said: "The acquisition of Inveralmond gives us the dedicated brewing facility that we need to meet the growing demand for our beers.

"It gives us a home where we can innovate and experiments with some of the new brewing processes we've been dreaming up.

"As we searched for a site for our new brewery, it became clear there was an opportunity to combine the strengths of both businesses and for us to acquire their brewery and brands."

Additional beer tanks will be installed to account for the anticipated increase in production volumes and to supply Innis & Gunn's growing Beer Kitchen concept. There are currently two Beer Kitchens – one in Edinburgh, one in Dundee – and a further opening planned for Glasgow.

Sharp added: "Taking over an already fantastic brewery gives us a rolling start in the development of our new state-of-the-art equipment and processes, meaning we can grow much faster than if we started from scratch."

Red tape​

Using a standing business also meant the business avoided red tape and planning issues that occur during building.

Fergus Clark, founder and managing director of Inveralmond, said: "This feels like a real win-win. Our beers will gain access to a sales and distribution infrastructure that will massively accelerate the growth of our beers both at home and internationally."

Meanwhile, the Publican's Morning Advertiser ​will launch its inaugural Future Trends: Beer and Cider event, which is set to arm the sector businesses with all they need to know about beer and cider new product development and innovation.

For more information about the event and to book your place, visit www.futuretrendsbeerandcider.co.uk​.