Loch Ness Brewery, based in Drumnadrochit, 15 miles from Inverness, has secured a deal with bosses at supermarket giant ALDI to supply their Scottish stores with over 3000 bottles of its SpookyNESS beer, for the second year running, just in time for Halloween.
Not for the faint hearted, SpookyNESS is a 4.3 % abv dark red beer which has hints of ginger running through it and is made with maris otter pale ale, crystal, chocolate malt and malted wheat.
The brewery, which is famed for its award winning HoppyNESS, is currently producing the equivalent to of 20,000 pints of beer a week to meet demand for its produce, but is looking to increase that in the near future.
The Spooktacular launch of SpookyNESS comes on the back of a lucrative deal the brewery recently signed with retail giant Marks and Spencer, which means RedNESS, which is a 4.2 % abv deep red bitter and its CaithNESS beer, which is a 4 % abv golden bitter, can now be purchased in stores in Scotland.
Stephen Crossland, managing director of Loch Ness Brewery said: “SpookyNESS is a hearty beer, not to be feared. It’s a blend of the perfect combination of warm spicy flavours, as we see summer turn to Autumn.
“We are delighted once again to supply ALDI with this bottled beer and we are delighted that a brand like ALDI recognises the value of local produce.”
Michael Whiteford, buying director at Aldi in Scotland, said: “The success of the Scottish Aldi Beer Festival continues to exceed our expectations and speaks volumes for the quality and popularity of the craft ale being produced in Scotland. In each festival we continue to uncover new Scottish breweries and in turn offer them a fantastic platform to showcase their great quality beers across all our Scottish Aldi stores.”
Loch Ness Brewery, launched in 2011, has grown rapidly in recent years, after initially just producing beer to be sold in Mr Crossland’s hotel in the Highlands and for a local beer festival. The firm expanded into a larger custom built brewery in the village in 2012 and the beer is now supplied to pubs, hotels and restaurants, as well as retailers, across the country and to the export market.
