Cairngorm Brewery
Last updated 15 May 2026
The Highlands' best-known brewery, producing traditional and slightly unconventional cask ales from Aviemore in the Cairngorms. Trade Winds is the standout: a wheat beer infused with elderflower that tastes nothing like any other Scottish ale — floral, light, and refreshing in a category dominated by amber bitters. Stag (a best bitter), Wildcat (a robust pale ale), and Black Gold (a dark ale with oat and chocolate malt) cover the traditional end. The brewery tap in Aviemore is a natural stop for anyone visiting the Cairngorms, and the beers appear on hand-pulls across Highland pubs.
The Highland visitor-centre brewery that's also a properly serious cask outfit. Trade Winds is the most-decorated golden ale on the Highland circuit; Black Gold punches well above its 4.4% in the stout category. Aviemore tourists treat the visitor centre as a tick-box; the beers deserve more attention.
Tasting the flagship: Trade Winds (4.3%)
Bright tropical fruit hop — passion fruit, lychee, lemon. Pale malt sweetness underneath.
Tropical fruit explosion at 4.3% ABV. Drinks like a much hoppier and bigger beer; surprising body.
Medium-long, clean, citrus-bitter. The hop character carries through to the end.
Flavour profile
- hops4/5
- malt2/5
- bitterness3/5
- body2/5
- sweetness2/5
- abv2/5
Drinker-axis profile across the brewery’s core range, scored 0–5.
Rating breakdown
See how we score breweries for the full methodology.
Visiting
Dalfaber Industrial Estate, Aviemore
PH22 1ST
- mon
- 10:00–17:00
- tue
- 10:00–17:00
- wed
- 10:00–17:00
- thu
- 10:00–17:00
- fri
- 10:00–17:00
- sat
- 10:00–17:00
- sun
- 12:00–16:00
- Glasgow
- 2h 45m · ~140 miles · M8 + M80 + A9 north.
- Edinburgh
- 2h 45m · ~140 miles · A90 + M90 + A9 north.
- Inverness
- 40m · ~30 miles · A9 south.
- Aberdeen
- 2h 30m · ~95 miles · A96 + A9 west.
ScotRail to Aviemore station, 10 min walk. Citylink coach from Edinburgh and Glasgow stops at Aviemore.
Free on-site car park.
Beers to try
Trade Winds
Golden ale · 4.3% · 35 IBU
CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2019. Tropical-fruit hop character that drinks much bigger than 4.3% ABV.
Food pairing: Fish and chips, lemon chicken, soft cheese.
- CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2019
- CAMRA Champion Beer of Scotland (multiple)
Black Gold
Stout · 4.4% · 40 IBU
Roasted malt, dark chocolate, coffee. Drier than most stouts at this strength.
Food pairing: Oysters, dark chocolate, smoked meat.
- CAMRA Champion Stout of Scotland 2015
Stag
Bitter · 4.1% · 35 IBU
Traditional Scottish bitter — malt-led, English hops, sessionable.
Food pairing: Pub pie, fish and chips, ploughman's.
Wildcat
IPA · 5.1% · 55 IBU
Stronger, hoppier counterpoint to Trade Winds. Pine and citrus; bigger body.
Food pairing: Burgers, BBQ, mature cheddar.
Where to buy
| cask | keg | bottle | can |
|---|---|---|---|
Yes Highland and central Scotland free houses. | Yes Some craft keg accounts. | Yes 500ml bottles at visitor centre and online. | Yes 440ml cans of Trade Winds and Black Gold. |
Format availability for the core range. Limited / seasonal releases may differ — check individual beer cards above.
Supermarkets: Trade Winds reliable in Tesco Scotland and Co-op Highland. Other beers patchy — visitor centre or online is most reliable.
- Cairngorm Brewery online shopDirect
- Tesco ScotlandSupermarket
Trade Winds cans.
- Co-op HighlandSupermarket
Trade Winds and Black Gold.
- Highland independent off-licencesOff-licence
Inverness and Aviemore bottles shops.
Direct delivery: Cairngorm Brewery online shop
Food pairings
Cairngorm beers are traditional Scottish-pub-food friendly. Trade Winds with anything fried or fish-based; Black Gold with bold or smoked flavours; Stag with classic pub fare.
| Beer | Food | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Trade Winds | Fish and chips, smoked salmon, lemon chicken | Tropical hop is the modern golden-ale signature — cuts fried food beautifully. |
| Black Gold | Oysters, dark chocolate, smoked beef | Classic stout pairings, all of which work. |
| Stag | Steak and ale pie, ploughman's, mature cheddar | Traditional bitter with traditional pub food. |
How it’s brewed
Cask-led brewing using Cairngorm water. Trade Winds reformulated three times across 20 years — each time a small refinement, never a step change.
Medium-small — ~5,000 hl/year
~900,000 pints
Cairngorm spring water. Maris Otter and Munich malts. New Zealand and American hops on Trade Winds.
- Cask ale
- Golden ales
- Highland session beers
Visit the brewery
Visitor centre at the brewery — shop, café, working brewery view. Open daily (seasonal hours).
- Tap room: Yes
- Parking: Yes
- Dog-friendly: Yes
- Wheelchair access: Yes
- Family-friendly: Yes
- Food on site: YesCafé-style — soups, sandwiches, basic platters.
90 min
Full brewhouse tour, 4 tastings, branded glass to take home.
Head brewer
Approach: Traditional cask brewing with Highland water and Maris Otter base. Hops are where the experimentation happens.
Timeline
- 2001Founded at Aviemore by Samuel Faircliff.
- 2005Trade Winds wins CAMRA Champion Beer of Scotland.
- 2012Visitor centre opens at the brewery.
- 2019Trade Winds wins CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain.
Awards
- CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain (Trade Winds)2019
- CAMRA Champion Beer of Scotland (Trade Winds)2005
- CAMRA Champion Stout of Scotland (Black Gold)2015
- SIBA Scotland Brewery of the Year2017
- Combine with a Cairngorm ski trip (December–April) or a Speyside whisky-tour drive. Aviemore is the natural base for both.
- Trade Winds on cask at the brewery is the best version. Bottled and canned versions are good but the cask is the platonic Trade Winds.
- Park at the brewery, walk into Aviemore for the railway museum, walk back for a tasting flight. Half-day plan that works in any weather.
- Black Gold pours well at the brewery; rarely on cask elsewhere. Worth a stop on its own.
Where to eat nearby
Aviemore institution — excellent Highland-British menu, Cairngorm on cask.
Independent café on the main Aviemore street; best breakfast in town.
Basic but reliable for lunch.
Best time to visit
Two windows: May–October for hiking and the Cairngorms generally; December–March for skiing. Avoid November (between seasons, many things closed). The brewery is open year-round but the surrounding tourism cycle matters.
Weather: Highland weather is genuinely unpredictable. Snow possible October to April; bright sun on the same days. The brewery visitor centre is fully indoor — weather affects the trip there, not the visit itself.
Cairngorm Brewery FAQ
+Where is Cairngorm Brewery?
Dalfaber Industrial Estate, Aviemore, PH22 1ST — 10 minutes' walk from Aviemore railway station.
+Can I visit the brewery?
Yes — the visitor centre is open daily with seasonal hours. Tours run with booking ahead.
+Is Trade Winds the best Cairngorm beer?
Most-decorated, yes — CAMRA Champion Beer of Britain 2019. Best in absolute terms depends on what you drink; Black Gold is exceptional in the stout category.
+Where can I buy Trade Winds?
Tesco Scotland and Co-op Highland stores stock the cans. The brewery online shop has the full range including occasional bottle-conditioned specials.
Other Highland breweries
Where to stay near Cairngorm Brewery
Hotels, B&Bs, and self-catering within easy reach of Cairngorm Brewery's tap room.
Booking links are affiliate links — we earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
At a glance
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Last updated 15 May 2026