Tiree restaurant beats the rest of Britain to honour

A small restaurant in the Isle of Tiree has been named as the Best Independent Craft Beer Restaurant by the Society of Independent Brewers.

The Caebahr restaurant, run by Bun Dubh Brewery, bowled over the judges with the ‘beauty of the location and the quality, locally sourced menu.

To some it may seem an odd choice for this prestigious award – judged by industry experts on behalf of SIBA, the trade association that represents the UK’s independent craft brewers – as Winners in previous years have been in far more urban locations in Leeds city centre (Bundobust, 2016) and Brixton (Booma, 2017).

But judges were unanimous in their praise of this small, unassuming, truly unique restaurant. Set within stunning scenery and serving beers brewed on-site by the Bun Dubh microbrewery, the menu is almost entirely locally sourced and often grown by the restaurant itself, or reared nearby.

Duncan Castling, of Caebahr and Bun Dubh Brewery, said: ‘It’s amazing to win, we are so enthusiastic about food and have tried to do something different with Caebahr. We’re an environmental restaurant – no packaging, no waste, only locally sourced food and beer that is brewed on site. It’s all about being true to the area and championing this amazing community.’

It was a stunning win for the restaurant, located on beautiful Tiree in the Inner Hebrides

The awards were presented by Radio 2 broadcaster and resident foodie Nigel Barden at BeerX UK 2018, the UK’s biggest beer and brewing trade event – run by SIBA at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool.

The finalists in competition with Caebahr for the UK’s Best Independent Craft Beer Restaurant category were eclectic, including the Scran & Scalie in Edinburgh, run by Michelin starred chef Tom Kitchin, which combines high-end gatsor-pub cooking with local, independent craft beers.

But it was Caebahr who came out on top, with judges commenting that it was the restaurant they would most highly recommend,

Neil Walker, SIBA Business Awards judging chair, said: ‘Despite being 60 miles off the Scottish coast, this restaurant has grown a loyal following of fans who return season after season to this truly stunning part of the world to enjoy freshly brewed craft beer, fantastic food and undisturbed views at this truly unique restaurant.

‘Of all the contenders in the competition this year, judges were unanimous in their agreement that Caebahr is something very special.’

In the coveted design award categories it was Loch Lomond Brewery who took home the Individual Design award for their unique Dr Peppercorn can which used drone images of the area to great effect.

The SIBA Business Awards received a huge 60% increase in entries this year, which SIBA say is testament to the innovation and vision on show in the independent craft brewing industry right now.