Skol Lager was developed originally by Ind Coope breweries in Alloa, Central Scotland. In 1958, Graham's Continental was launched (based upon a local brew called Graham's Golden) and quickly changed to Graham's Skol to give a Scandinavian impression (the plant had actually been imported from Sweden). The name was later revised to just Skol. Allied Breweries (UK),

Labatt Labatt Brewing Company Limited (french: La Brasserie Labatt Limitée) is a Belgian-owned brewery headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1847, Labatt is the largest brewer in Canada. In 1995, it was purchased by Belgian brewer Int ...

(Canada), Pripps-Bryggerierna (Sweden), and

Unibra Unibra is a Belgium based company operating in the African drinks market. It was created by Michel Relecom in 1960 through the merger of four breweries in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and was established under Belgian law in 19 ...

(Belgium) formed a new company called Skol International in 1964. Its aim was the creation of a worldwide beer brand, Skol, which could be licensed, manufactured and marketed around the world. In the late 1960s, it was heavily advertised on Dutch pirate Radio Veronica as Skol International, with an advertising jingle sung by Patrica Paay, later a very successful Dutch pop singer and TV presenter. Since then participation in the company has changed significantly.

History

From 1973 to 1982, beer under the Skol brand was brewed by the Dutch

Oranjeboom Brewery The Oranjeboom Brewery () was founded in Rotterdam in 1671. The brewery there closed in 1990, with production shifted to Breda. That brewery was sold to Interbrew in 1995 and was closed in 2004 by InBev, Interbrew's successor. Production of the ...

, but it was not a success in the Dutch market. In

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

, Skol was the major sponsor of the Fittipaldi Automotive, after the end of the

Copersucar Copersucar is the world's largest sugar and ethanol company and one of the most important exporters worldwide, with a capacity of more than 10 billion liters of ethanol, it is the largest sugar and ethanol trader in the world. In its 50 years o ...

sponsorship at the end of the previous season. The brand also sponsored the

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

competition from 1984-1992, with a second 'Skol Cup' trophy being awarded to winners alongside the standard league cup during this period. In 1992, the merger between Allied Breweries and Carlsberg created

Carlsberg Carlsberg may refer to: Places * Carlsberg (district), a district in Copenhagen, Denmark ** Carlsberg station, its train station * Carlsberg, Germany, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Carlsberg Fjord, Greenland Other uses * Carlsbe ...

- Tetley's, who moved the production of Skol from Alloa to their brewery in

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

until this brewery was closed in 2011. It continues to be distributed in the UK, with an ABV reduced to 2.8%. Skol table.JPG, Skol cans and tables at the beach in Brazil The Lamb - geograph.org.uk - 1077760.jpg, A pub in

Surbiton Surbiton is a suburban neighbourhood in South West London, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames (RBK). It is next to the River Thames, southwest of Charing Cross. Surbiton was in the historic county of Surrey and since 1965 it has ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

advertising Skol

holds the license to brew and market the beer worldwide, except for Africa and South America.

holds the license for Africa. In Europe, the beer is also produced and marketed in

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

and

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. In Asia, it is distributed in

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, and

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

. In Africa, it is present in

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

, the

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

Madagascar Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...

, and

Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...

. The name is the English language variant of the Scandinavian drink

toast Toast most commonly refers to: * Toast (food), bread browned with dry heat * Toast (honor), a ritual in which a drink is taken Toast may also refer to: Places * Toast, North Carolina, a census-designated place in the United States Books * '' ...

"skål". For a time, the Hägar the Horrible cartoon character was used for promotion. In the Brazilian market Skol has added a new drink to their brand named "Skol Beats" which has a citrus taste and several flavors, including blue, red, and green, in addition to a newer line of Skol Beats gin and tonic beverages all containing approximately 7.9% of alcohol.

Awards

The brand was awarded a Gold Award at the 2012 World Quality Selections, organized by Monde Selection. This was the second international award that Skol won. The beer was also awarded a gold medal for packaging and a silver medal in the taste category at the 2005 Australian International Beer Awards.

References

External links

Skol AfricaSkol BrazilSkol Romania
{{Alcoholic drinks Beer brands