Emma Stirlingshire based Traditional Scottish Ales Ltd (TSA) have re-launched as Black Wolf Brewery.
Owner of the brewery, VC² Brands, made the decision to rebrand TSA, which has been operating for seven years from its Throsk site, following the expansion of its management team with the addition of director and investor, Andrew Richardson.
Richardson, who previously worked at Courage, McVitie’s and Diageo and latterly as managing director of Johnston Press Scotland, joined fellow directors Carlo Valente and Graham Coull at the end of 2013.
The company’s new name draws heavily from the history and heritage surrounding its home city of Stirling, referring to the local legend of a black wolf that saved the town from 9th century Viking invaders by howling a warning to alert the town’s defenders.
Andrew Richardson commented; “We chose the name ‘Black Wolf Brewery’ because we wanted a name that reflected the brewery’s Stirlingshire roots, and the black wolf is synonymous with the area and its history.
“We want to be known as a brewery that is passionate about the quality and taste of its beers, that is creative and is willing to experiment, and above all which makes beers that people enjoy. We also want to have some fun along the way, which is what beer is really all about.”
Graham Coull commented: “The launch of Black Wolf Brewery marks a significant new chapter for our business. Andrew has a great deal of experience in the brewing industry which is a great asset to VC² Brands and Black Wolf.”
The company has invested heavily in the re-launch, which includes a new range of craft beers in bottle, keg and cask in addition to a full rebrand of its current packaging and websites by award winning design agency, Tayburn.
The new range includes Tundra – an elderflower flavoured wheat beer, Florida Black – a delicious stout and Big Red – a flavoursome red beer. The company is also launching Coulls, a premium lager, in bottle and keg. There has already been considerable interest in the new range from overseas customers and from the on and off trades in the UK.
The brewery’s existing heritage brands, Lomond Gold, Glencoe, Ben Nevis and William Wallace, and the premium brands, 1488 and Double Espresso, will begin to appear on shelf in their new Black Wolf guise over the coming months.
Carlo Valente concluded “We’re confident that the decisions to invest in order to produce a new range of beers and to rebrand the brewery are the right ones. We now have a very strong range of beers which we will be taking to new and existing customers, and we expect to see our market share grow in Scotland and to create more export opportunities further afield. We’re already off to a fantastic start.”
