Crabbie's is a brand of alcoholic
ginger beer
Traditional ginger beer is a sweetened and carbonated, usually non-alcoholic beverage. Historically it was produced by the natural fermentation of prepared ginger spice, yeast and sugar.
Modern ginger beers are often mass production, manufactur ...
originating in
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. It is owned by UK-based
Halewood International
Halewood International or Halewood Artisanal Spirits PLC are UK-based distiller and distributor of artisanal spirits.
They are one of the UK's largest independent artisanal spirits distillers which exports to 95 countries.
Structure
Hale ...
Ltd and manufactures at Halewood's plant in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
.
Background
Crabbie's traces its founding to 1801 when Miller Crabbie was a merchant in Edinburgh. The business was inherited by his son John Crabbie (1806 – 1891) who went on to found John Crabbie & Co.
In the mid-19th century, John Crabbie acquired a former porter brewery located between Yardheads and
Great Junction Street in Edinburgh's port of
Leith
Leith (; ) is a port area in the north of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith and is home to the Port of Leith.
The earliest surviving historical references are in the royal charter authorising the construction of ...
. Over the ensuing years the premises were extended mainly to provide bonded warehouses for Crabbie's whisky business. The company was also engaged in gin rectifying and the production of fruit-based cordials. Of these, Crabbie's was best known for its green ginger wine which was continued to be made in Leith until the 1980s when John Crabbie & Co was acquired by another Leith distiller and blender, Macdonald & Muir, and production of green ginger wine was transferred to
Broxburn, West Lothian
Broxburn (, ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It is from the West End of Edinburgh, from Edinburgh Airport and to the north of Livingston. Originally a village known as Easter Strathbock in the medieval period, by 1600, the village ha ...
. Macdonald & Muir had acquired the Glenmorangie Distillery in 1918 and renamed itself The Glenmorangie Company in 1996. In 2007, it sold the brand to the present owners,
Halewood International
Halewood International or Halewood Artisanal Spirits PLC are UK-based distiller and distributor of artisanal spirits.
They are one of the UK's largest independent artisanal spirits distillers which exports to 95 countries.
Structure
Hale ...
. Preserving its links with Leith, John Crabbie & Company Limited is in the present day a dormant company with a company address in Mitchell Street, Leith. However, production of Crabbie's ginger beer takes place in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, England.
Distribution
Since 2011, Crabbie's has been distributed in Australia through
Woolworths Liquor,
Beer Wine Spirits
BWS is an Australian Chain store, retail chain of liquor stores owned by Endeavour Group.
History
BWS began operations in June 2001 as a local neighbourhood bottleshop. BWS was a brand of the Woolworths Group (Australia), Woolworths Liquor Gro ...
and
Dan Murphy's
Dan Murphy's is an Australian liquor store owned by Endeavour Group, with 272 current stores across Australia. The business was founded in 1952 by winemaker Daniel Francis Murphy. Dan Murphy's competes principally with Coles Group brands First ...
grocery stores. In 2012, Crabbie's began distribution in the United States through St. Killian company.
Variations
In the UK, Crabbie's is available in flavours such as Original, Scottish Raspberry, IPA and Stout, with a Spiced Orange variant also available in the United States. Outside of the UK and the United States, other variations might be found in speciality shops.
In the UK, it is a
gluten free product. in May 2019 Crabbie's changed their Ginger Beer recipe to contain 5% actual beer so it now contains wheat and barley, but still maintains its Gluten Free label as the new gluten containing ingredients have a gluten level of less than 20 ppm. The product is no longer suitable for anyone with a wheat or barley intolerance.
In May 2024, the alcohol content of the UK variant was reduced from 4.0% ABV to 3.4%
In the United States, Crabbie's is sold as a malt beverage and is not gluten free. The discovery that the American version of Crabbie's is not gluten free caused much alarm and controversy among the celiac and gluten intolerant community, as Crabbie's was originally marketed as gluten free in the United States.
Sponsorship
Crabbie's is a sponsor of both international and grassroots rugby, with sponsorships of Wales & Scotland, and Rugby Union clubs Ospreys, Newport Dragons, Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, Edinburgh Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Newcastle Falcons, Northampton Saints, Yorkshire Carnegie, Richmond, Esher, Caldy, Southport and Rugby League club St Helens.
Crabbies are the headline sponsor for
Bournemouth 7s Festival who are the World's Largest Sports and Music Festival taking place with over 400 teams in the last Bank Holiday weekend in May.
Crabbie's was the official sponsor of the
Grand National
The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...
Festival from 2013 to 2016.
Scottish football club
Hibernian has also been sponsored by Crabbie's.
References
External links
UK WebsiteUS website
{{Ginger ales
Ginger
Drink companies of Scotland
Scottish brands
Scottish alcoholic drinks