Fyne Ales

Fyne Ales was founded in 2001 on the Achadunan Estate at the head of Loch Fyne in rural Argyll. The estate had been part of founder Tuggy Noble's family for generations and includes farmland, hills, river habitat and grazing land.

After Jonny Delap took early retirement for health reasons, he and Tuggy returned to Glen Fyne with the aim of creating new jobs, tourism and industry on the estate. Tuggy suggested converting a former dairy building into a brewery.

A second-hand British brewing system was installed in the converted dairy and the first Fyne Ales beer, Highlander, was brewed on St Andrew's Day, 30 November 2001.

The brewery steadily grew in both reputation and demand during the following years. New beers including Maverick, Vital Spark and Avalanche joined the range, while Fyne Ales began collecting awards in SIBA and CAMRA competitions.

Following Jonny Delap's death in 2009, his son Jamie Delap returned to Scotland and took on the role of Managing Director.

The first FyneFest was held in 2010 with around 150 visitors. That event also saw the launch of Jarl, a hop-forward session beer which became one of the brewery's best-known releases.

In 2012 a former grain store was converted into the Brewery Tap and shop. Powered by solar energy, the tap opened to the public that summer and became a permanent visitor destination on the estate.

By this point the original brewery was operating at its maximum capacity of around 14,000 litres a week. Fyne Ales therefore began developing a larger brewhouse while remaining committed to keeping production on the Achadunan Estate.

A new brewery was installed in a converted sheep shed and commissioned in 2014. The bespoke British three-vessel system has a 6,500-litre brew length and increased potential output to around 100,000 pints per week.

Rather than retiring the original brewery, Fyne Ales repurposed it for experimentation. It became home to the Origins Brewing project, which launched in 2017 and focuses on Scottish farmhouse beers made using mixed fermentation, wood ageing and locally foraged ingredients.

The wider Achadunan Estate remains central to Fyne Ales' identity. Alongside brewing, the 4,500-acre farm supports Highland cattle, sheep and red deer, reinforcing the brewery's description of itself as a modern rural farm brewery.

FyneFest has also grown into a major part of the brewery's calendar, bringing breweries and drinkers from across the UK and beyond to the estate each year. In 2018 the event welcomed more than 2,500 visitors and featured beer from over sixty UK and European breweries.

Today Fyne Ales operates both its main production brewery and the smaller original brewery on the estate. Visitors can drink at the Brewery Tap and Courtyard, shop for beer onsite and join weekend tours exploring the brewery, estate and history of beer production at Achadunan.