Britain in a Bottle

A unique, comprehensive and colourful guide to over 340 breweries, cider mills, vineyards and distilleries across Britain. Recent years have seen a huge increase in the number of these places all over the country not only operating but also welcoming visitors, from small single-man producers working from home to large, world-famous labels, from well-established brands to the revival of 200-year-old manufacturers which had almost been lost to prosperity. Now, for the first time, they have been gathered together in a single book which celebrates their craftsmanship, pinpoints their locations, describes who they are and what they do, and provides detailed information about how you can visit and sample their wares.
Wherever you go in Britain, you're never far from a working brewery, distillery, vineyard or cider mill that would welcome your visit. The more you know about your favourite drink, the more pleasure it gives you. In this engaging full-colour compendium, expert authors Ted Bruning, previously of the Good Beer Guide, and Rupert Wheeler, previously of Whisky Magazine, focus on places that are normally open during the holiday season, have a visitor centre and shop, and welcome families so you don't have to leave the kids in the car! Arranged by country, with chapters concentrating on individual counties and regions, no matter where you are you'll find a brewery, cider mill, distillery or vineyard within reach, many in historic, beautiful or quirky locations, from a brewery in a windmill to a distiller in the operating threatre of a former animal hospital!
Whatever your tipple, this is a book for anyone interested in the noble art of distilling, no matter your level of knowledge or expertise, from the simply curious to the general enthusiast or seasoned connoisseur.

List of contents

CONTENTS
Introduction
Festivals & shows
How to use this guide
PART ONE
ENGLAND
01 West Country
Cornwall
Devon
02 Southwest
Dorset
Gloucestershire
Somerset
03 South
Berkshire
Buckinghamshire
Hampshire
Isle of Wight
Oxfordshire
Wiltshire
04 Greater London
London
Surrey
05 Southeast
Kent
East & West Sussex
06 Midlands
Derbyshire
Herefordshire
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Shropshire
Staffordshire
Warwickshire
07 East Anglia
Cambridgeshire
Essex
Norfolk
Suffolk
08 North
County Durham
Cumbria
Greater Manchester
Lancashire
Merseyside
Northumberland
The Yorkshires
Tyne & Wear
PART TWO
WALES
09 Wales
Carmarthenshire
Conwy
Ceredigion
Gwynedd
Monmouthshire
Pembrokeshire
Powys
Rhondda Cynon Taf
PART THREE
SCOTLAND
10 Southern Scotland
Dumfries & Galloway
Scottish Borders
11 Arran, Glasgow & Stirling
Arran
Glasgow
Stirling
12 East Lothian, Edinburgh & Midlothian
East Lothian
Edinburgh & Midlothian
13 East Scotland
Dundee & Angus
Fife
Perth and Kinross
14 Aberdeenshire & Moray
Aberdeenshire
Moray
15 Argyll & the Isles
Argyll & Bute
Campbeltown
Colonsay
Islay
Jura
Mull
16 Highlands & Islands
Highlands
Orkney
Shetland
Western Isles
Glossary
Location index
Category index

About the author

Ted Bruning trained as a reporter on local weekly papers before joining the Morning Advertiser, founded in 1794 by the Society of Licensed Victuallers both to promote the trade's interests and to help support indigent licensees. After rising to the position of Associate Editor he turned freelance, writing regularly for publications such as the Publican, the Brewers' Guardian and What's Brewing (the Campaign for Real Ale monthly membership magazine), as well as undertaking one-off assignments such as editing the quarterly The Cider Press. Later he was Editor of What's Brewing and wrote London by Pub, a book of historic pub trails that earned him promotional TV slots on Caprice's Travels and The Thirsty Traveller. He has also written travel features mainly about brewers, distillers, and cider mills in Brittany, Belgium, and Wales for a range of magazines and had a sideline importing bottled beers from Northern France microbreweries. For the last ten years he has been concentrating on books and also, until 2011, driving a beer and cider importer on buying expeditions across Belgium and Northern France. He also works regularly for a licensed trade yearbook, On Trade Preview.
Rupert Wheeler started out working for publishers in the 1970s before becoming self-employed in 1988 undertaking freelance projects for a range of companies including Dorling Kindersley and Cadogan Guides. Since 2002 his company, Posthouse Publishing, has been publishing under its own imprint as well as continuing to produce books for other publishers, including A Return to Real Cooking, The Microbrewers' Handbook by Ted Bruning, The Wine Producers' Handbook, The Craft Distillers' Handbook by Ted Bruning and, more recently, The Bar Owners' Handbook and The Sustainable Smallholders' Handbook. Between 2014 and 2017 he was Managing Editor of Whisky Magazine, a role which involved commission all features, participating as a judge in World Whiskies Awards 2014-Present, and visiting distilleries in Scotland, England, Wales and Ireland (as well as USA and India). In 2017 he decided on a whim to move to Orkney and now works part time at Highland Park distillery as a tour guide as well as taking tasting events for VIP tours. He continues to run Posthouse Publishing.

Summary

Britain in a Bottle - a visitor's guide to the breweries, cider mills, distilleries and vineyards of Great Britain, covering over 250 sites in England, Wales and Scotland, with special features on everything from malt and yeast to sparkling wine, botanicals and orchards. Includes locator maps, descriptions, contacts details and opening times.

Foreword

. A unique full-colour guide detailing 340 breweries, distilleries, cider mills and vineyards around England, Wales and Scotland
. 1.9 million people visited Scottish distilleries in 2017, up over 11% on the previous year
. With a record grape harvest in UK 2018, English wine has well and truly arrived. English Wine Week is held every year in May and last year over 150 vineyards took part.
. Expert authors: Ted Bruning previously of the Good Beer Guide, and Rupert Wheeler,ex-Managing Editor of Whisky Magazine
. Easy-to-use guide, with clear maps
. Each entry includes descriptions, contact details and opening times

Additional text

"Entertaining as well as being thorough, this is an essential handbook for anyone interested in the UK's hugely varied breweries, distilleries and wineries - so welcome at a time when food and drink tourism is burgeoning" - Charles Maclean, author of Malt Whisky, a Master of the Quaich, and inductee into the Whisky magazine Hall of Fame
"A unique, comprehensive guide for connoisseurs and anyone interested in the art of distilling. incredibly informative" - Devon Life
"An extensive guide book for drinks lovers" - Sunday Post
"An entertaining compendium" - Dundee Courier
"It's a super read, love the overall idea, at last a different sort of 'whisky' book." - Dr Bill Lumsden, Director of Distilling, Whisky Creation & Whisky Stocks' at Glenmorangie

Product details

• Authors: Ted Bruning, Bruning Ted, Rupert Wheeler, Wheeler Rupert
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.04.2020
• EAN: 9781784775919
• ISBN: 978-1-78477-591-9
• No. of pages: 384
• Dimensions: 134 mm x 178 mm x 18 mm
• Series: Bradt Travel Guides (Travel Literature)
• Subjects: Travel > Travelogues, traveller's tales > Europe; England, Wales, TRAVEL / General, Scotland, Travel & holiday guides, TRAVEL / Europe / Great Britain, TRAVEL / Europe / General, Cookery / food & drink etc, United Kingdom, Great Britain, Food and drink: non-alcoholic beverages, Non-alcoholic beverages, Travel and holiday guides, Travel guides: food and drink regions, Cookery / food and drink / food writing, breweries, bradt guides, distilleries, opening times, Britain in a Bottle, cider mills, vineyards of Great Britain