The landlords of a North Yorkshire pub have drawn upon a longstanding relationship with Black Sheep Brewery to be named as the British Institute of Inn keeping (BII) Licensee of the Year 2013.
Ashley and Kelly McCarthy, who co-own the Ye Old Sun Inn in Colton, scooped the BII award after completing a series of site inspections and interviews at the pub, by a panel of nine industry experts.
Kelly said: “It was a big shock for both Ashley and I, and we are very proud to have won such a sought after award as it is the highest accolade in our industry. We were thrilled to have won the award and all of our hard work has paid off.”
The pair have operated the pub for nine years and have sold Black Sheep beer since 2008. It has been a popular choice for its customers, with the pub offering the full range of Black Sheep beers, including Golden Sheep and All Creatures.
Kelly added: “The Ye Old Sun Inn has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with the Black Sheep Brewery, which sells really well with our customers and produces a good turnover for the pub.”
Jo Theakston, Black Sheep Brewery’s Sales & Marketing Director, said: “The brewery would like to congratulate Ashley and Kelly on their prestigious award win.
“We are proud to have such a long lasting relationship with such a successful establishment that are advocates of the brewery, and are pleased that our beers are received so well by its customers.”
ENDS
CONTACT: Paul White on 01325 363436
Photo caption: (l-r): Ye Old Sun Inn landlords Ashley and Kelly McCarthy with Black Sheep Brewery’s account manager, David Croft.
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Notes to Editors:
The Black Sheep Brewery in Masham made its first beer in 1992 after being built up by Paul Theakston, whose family had brewed in the area for six generations.
In a world of ever increasing bland, mass-produced beer Paul saw an opportunity to return to what his family had done best since 1827, making real beer in the time-honoured fashion.
An old maltings building, once part of Lightfoot’s Brewery became the Brewery’s home. This landmark building, which stands high over the banks of the Ure, had fallen in to disrepair as years of neglect as a semi-redundant grainstore had taken its toll. Paul assembled a small team around him to fight the rats and build a traditional country brewery.
The Black Sheep Brewery name derived from Masham’s association with sheep, but ‘Sheep Brewery’ didn’t quite sound right, so with a little creativity from Paul’s wife the Black Sheep Brewery was born, a name that sat well with the area, spoke volumes about the maverick attitude to the multi-nationals seeking to dominate the brewing industry and captured the essence of the family struggle that led to our birth.
Black Sheep Ale at 4.4% ABV, now in an eco-friendly lightweight bottle, continues to maintain its presence among the top ten premium bottled ale brands, and is available nationwide from virtually all the major supermarket retailers. It is a classic premium bitter and as with all Black Sheep beers, full of character derived from the best possible brewing materials, plenty of time and patience in the brewing and our very special Yorkshire Square fermenters.