Luxury department store Harvey Nichols has added Ilkley Brewery beers to a selection of their food markets and wine shops. It is the only regional beer brand to be stocked nationwide alongside the store’s permanent international brands.
Real ale connoisseurs can now buy Ilkley’s award-winning craft beers from the Knightsbridge store in London as well as the Leeds, Manchester and Bristol stores.
Each store will stock the following beers from Ilkley Brewery’s core range:
– Knightsbridge ““ Ilkley Jubilee
– Leeds ““ Mary Jane, Lotus IPA and Ilkley Black
– Manchester ““ Ilkley Black, Ilkley Jubilee and Lotus IPA
– Bristol ““ Mary Jane, Ilkley Black , Ilkley Jubilee and Lotus IPA
Harvey Nichols’ OXO Tower has also been selling Ilkley Jubilee in its Restaurant, Brasserie and Tower Bar throughout the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Harvey Nichols’ buyer, Andrew Duncan, commented: “Demand for Ilkley Brewery’s beers was very apparent in our Leeds store. So, coupled with Ilkley’s exceptional brewing credentials, we decided to take a selection from its core range for some of our other UK stores. Sales have been encouraging so far which I’m sure is testament to the quality of the product and the strong brand associated with it.”
Chris Ives, one of Ilkley Brewery’s directors, added: “The response we have had from Harvey Nichols has exceeded all our expectations. To have our beers stocked at our local Leeds store is a fantastic coup in itself, but to be on the shelves of Harvey Nichols’ other UK stores, alongside both international and other regional brands, is very exciting for us as a microbrewery.”
Rise in retail
At only three years old, Ilkley Brewery has won regional and national acclaim for its hand crafted real ales which have put the spa town brewery on a front foot in terms of supermarket listings. As well as Harvey Nichols, Ilkley’s ales are also stocked in Booths, Asda and Morrisons stores across the north of England
Having only brewed its first firkin in 2009, the Yorkshire-based brewery has gone from making 23,000 pints a week at the beginning of 2011 to 40,000 pints a week, thanks to the installation of a sixth fermentor which was officially unveiled by HRH The Princess Royal on 3 April this year.
The brewery has also scooped a host of awards for its innovative, flavour-filled beers with seven Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA) awards including a national gold for its MJ Pale, an artisan pale ale launched late last year.
In June, the brewery fought off competition from 3,000 local businesses to be crowned the Local Business Accelerators’ national winner receiving a year’s mentorship from Dragon’s Den star, Deborah Meaden.
Tasting notes
Harvey Nichols has chosen four of Ilkley Brewery’s beers for its UK stores. Mary Jane, Ilkley’s flagship beer, is a 3.5% pale ale packed with Amarillo and Cascade hops giving citrus aromas and flavours. Its Lotus IPA, at 5.6%, is a classic, highly hopped IPA with mango and grapefruit notes. At 3.7%, the Ilkley Black is a traditional dark mild with a blend of five malts and a hint of liquorice in the finish. Finally, the Ilkley Jubilee, specially brewed to mark the Diamond Jubilee, is a premium pale ale at 4.5% made with the finest ingredients from Her Majesty the Queen’s Commonwealth.
To find out more about Ilkley Brewery, visit: www.ilkleybrewery.co.uk or to read the brewery’s blog, go to: www.ilkleybreweryblog.blogspot.com
For further information on Harvey Nichols, visit: www.harveynichols.com