SCOTTISH Borders Brewery owner John Henderson marked the first anniversary of his beer business by pulling the pump for its 250,000th pint.
One of the country’s few plough-to-pint microbreweries, it reached the landmark after a year in which it has grown to supply more than 200 outlets across central Scotland and the North of England.
It boasts a porttfolio of five real ales including recent releases, Holy Cow, a 4.2 per cent best bitter and Wee Beastie, a 3.6 per cent lower alcohol ale.
Mr Henderson told us: “When we rolled out our first casks in February, 2011, we knew that for sustainability we needed to establish a network of at least 20 customers. We have achieved ten times this in the space of just 12 months.”
Located in a converted farm steading near Jedburgh, the brewery uses malting barley grown on Mr Henderson’s Chesters estate and its on-site artesian spring water supply to create its range of cask ales.
Mr Henderson added: “The response we have received from all of our products has been amazing.
“Our combination of local provenance and commitment to producing great tasting cask beers has enabled us to rapidly gain a strong customer base and establish ourselves as a player within the Scottish real ale market.”
The brewery aims to expand its sales network to more than 250 premises this year and will increase production to 120 casks a week.