The History of Belhaven Brewery - New York City Tartan Week

The story of Belhaven Brewery begins in 1719 when a Dunbar market gardener, named John Johnstone, procured a plot of land close to Belhaven Bay, near Dunbar. From there he built a brewing dynasty which stood for over 250 years and a brewery that is still growing strong to this day.

However, Johnstone was by no means the first person to start brewing in the area surrounding Dunbar. It's thought that the Benedictine monks of the Isle of May, in the Firth of Forth, had begun brewing as early as 1150AD. The monks were eventually granted access to land on Bellhaven Bay, where they dug wells in 1415 and built cellars to store their ale. These cellars are still used by Belhaven today! Records from the 1550s show that the monks even provided their famous brew to troops based at Dunbar Castle, who were preparing an assault on the English. This illustrates the institution on which Belhaven was built.

From Belhaven's humble beginnings in 1719, the brewery grew at an exponential rate. By 1837, Belhaven beers were being advertised in the London Morning Chronicle, and the Emperor of Austria proclaimed the beer as the "burgundy of Scotland". Such was Belhaven's popularity that it was able to survive through the many hardships of war and economic upheavals of the 20th Century.

The brewery was eventually sold by the descendants of Johnstone in 1972, marking the end of his brewing dynasty. However, the brewery lived on, surviving where many others did not. It prospered through the launch of new innovative beers, notably, Belhaven Best, which is Scotland's best-selling ale today. Through this long and illustrious history, Belhaven has secured its position as Scotland's oldest working brewery. Belhaven has been serving high-quality drinks for over 300 and will be for 300 more.

A short journey along the coast from the village of Belhaven takes you to the neighbouring town of Dunbar. It was once the seat of the rich and powerful Clan Dunbar who occupied Dunbar Castle, which overlooks the town's harbour. The Earls of Dunbar and March controlled much of the Lothians and all of the Borders. From Berwick to Peebles and Roxburgh to Selkirk, it was all under their control. They even had large residences in Northumberland and Cumberland.

During the Wars of Independence, the Dunbars were not supporters of the Scottish King Robert the Bruce, or of a Scottish Crown in general. They even went as far as providing shelter for the defeated Edward II at Dunbar Castle following the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Had Patrick of Dunbar held Edward II, many believe that he would have had to recognise Bruce and the Scottish Crown. Instead, the wars continued between the two countries for many years.

Bruce and Dunbar, who were cousins, settled their differences in 1315, and when the English forces occupied Berwick in 1337, Dunbar relinquished his allegiance to Edward III. The English retaliated by laying siege to Dunbar Castle, which was held by Dunbar's wife, Black Agnes. Agnes defended the castle for over five months and was a constant thorn in the side of the English. The Earl of Salisbury, who had laid siege to the castle wrote of Black Agnes, "Cam I early, cam I late, I found Agnes at the gate". In the end, the Earl was forced to admit defeat and return to England empty-handed. In the years that followed, Agnes was hailed as a stalwart Scottish hero who made a mockery of the invading English.