Scotland’s licensed trade celebrated in style at the Scottish Bar and Pub Awards on August 15th after the crème de la crème of the industry picked up industry gongs at the event held at The Glasgow Hilton, Glasgow
Glasgow pipped Edinburgh for the number of gongs given out with Saint Luke’s, Atlantic Bar & Brasserie, Vroni’s, the Bier Halle and Bag O’Nails all receiving accolades. However Edinburgh bars Bon Vivant and Hamilton’s flew the flag for the capital city. The Bon Vivant is Scotland’s Disaronno Cocktail Bar of the Year while Hamilton’s picked up the Tennent’s Quality Award.
Ayrshire businessmen Bill Costley of Costley & Costley and Colin Blair of Buzzworks were applauded by the guests as Bill received the Gordon & MacPhail Award for Success while Colin picked up the accolade Flow Entrepreneur of the Year. Meanwhile Arran’s Linda Johnson of Auchrannie was given a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Renfrewshire-based Manorview Hotels won the Bright Signals Social Media Award while Eaglesham pub The Swan was voted best for Casual Dining.
Galashiels was represented by The Clovenfords Hotel which won the Diageo Award for Social Responsibility and Community having opened a village shop in the pub.
Saint Luke’s in Glasgow was not only the favourite Dog Friendly Pub in Scotland but it also picked up the coveted Sunday Mail Pub of the Year Mirror, after judges deemed it the very best out of all the winners.
Stirling’s The Birds & Bees was given the top award in the category Sunday Mail Pub Spy of the Year.
Uddingston business Angels Hotel won the award for the best Renovation of the Year for its incredible make-over, and Bag O’Nails in Glasgow won the Kopparberg Independent Bar of the Year accolade. Vroni’s won Inverarity-Morton Wine by the Glass award and Atlantic Bar & Grill won the BII Customer Service Award. The Bier Halle team in Glasgow received the gong for Molson Coors Craft Beer Bar.
Whisky Bar of the year was hotly contested with The Keys in St Andrews the worthy recipient and the Country Pub of the Year title was won by The Old Mill Inn in Pitlochry. Makar Gin New Bar of the Year was presented to Milngavie establishment Finsbay.
The William Grant Bar Apprentice of the Year went to James Marchant-Wink of Rabble in Edinburgh.
The Awards, which were established 22 years ago, are the longest running honours for the Scottish licensed trade. They are run by industry publication DRAM. Said Publisher, Susan Young, “It’s great to see the standard of Scotland’s bars and pubs. They are a real credit to our hospitality industry. Well done, everyone.”
Photographs will be available from Thursday online at dramscotland.co.uk. If higher resolution images are required contact 0141 221 6965.
Tennent Caledonian has continued its commitment to Glasgow’s East End, after partnering with new music and entertainment venue, Saint Luke’s, which opened in September.
Tennent’s investment has helped towards the renovation and branding of the iconic site, including a mural by renowned street artist SMUG and mobile bars to minimise queuing at peak times. The partnership will also see Saint Luke’s stock a range of leading draught brands including Tennent’s Lager, Caledonia Best, Heverlee, Magners and Menabrea – as well as the Drygate portfolio.
Saint Luke’s is set to become a further welcome addition to the East End for locals and visitors alike – a truly multipurpose music and arts venue with a separate bar restaurant just off the main auditorium, making it perfect for a variety of different events. There has been great interest in the space already, with major Glasgow promoters and venue programmers such as DF Concerts and PCL joining global music channel MTV in working with Saint. Luke’s.
Michael Woods, owner of Saint Lukes, said, “My brother Tony, and I are delighted to work in partnership with Tennent Caledonian and feel the encouragement and support given from our initial meeting at the early construction stages to our grand opening. We look forward to the future and feel this will only bring more success working hand in hand with Wallace’s TCB. Exciting times ahead for the venue and the East End community.”
Paul Condron, Marketing Director at Tennent Caledonian said: “As a business that’s firmly rooted in the East End of Glasgow, we’re always looking for ways to support the local community, and Saint Luke’s is an exciting project that we’re proud to be associated with.”
Tennent Caledonian has invested in excess of £40 million to support the Scottish On Trade over the last 5 years, and St. Luke’s is the latest initiative in the East End to benefit from this support. As well as a number of pubs in the East End, Tennent Caledonian has also invested heavily in: the Wellpark Brewery, re-introducing tours to the public; the establishment of the Tennent’s Training Academy, which has seen 18,000 young people being trained to enhance Scotland’s hospitality industry; and the launch of Drygate, a Joint Venture with Williams Brothers, that has seen the creation of a destination brewpub, venue, shop and restaurant in a former Box Factory adjacent to Wellpark.
The East End of Glasgow is set to come to life with the redevelopment and re-imagining of St. Luke’s Church, located next door to the prestigious Barrowlands Ballroom. Owners Michael and Tony Woods bought the space, from the Church of Scotland’ with the concept to transform it into a new music and arts venue. Manager of St. Luke’s, David Brown explains, “This area has so much potential and we hope St. Luke’s will be a catalyst to bring new people to the area and also give back to the community. The Calton and Barras community in Glasgow is a densely and diversely populated urban area but is lacking a venue for live entertainment in private or commercial sense. Saint Luke’s will establish as a new, vibrant and innovative venue within this environment, offering consistent, high quality entertainment in a fresh and appealing facility.”Brown tells us that the venue will have a multitude of purposes, “Saint Luke’s will provide live entertainment and function facilities, alongside the capacity to host periodic special events. The venue will provide a type of facility that does not currently exist in the East End of Glasgow. Saint Luke’s will feature a bar and restaurant, which will operate 7 days a week. This will become a significant draw to future customers whilst providing many new jobs and opportunities in the area.” Through smart design and imaginative programming, Saint Luke’s will be used for a variety of activities for all ages, demographics and interests. It will create a multi-purpose arts, culture and community centre which will enhance the area, improve facilities for the local population, provide employment opportunities, and help address some of the social concerns prevalent in the area. He hopes the venue will be ready to open to the public this July.