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A timber-clad building's glass double doors stand beneath a round sign, a picnic bench and stacked crates outside on the tarmac.
Cairngorms

The Cairngorm Brewery

Aviemore's own brewery since 2001, home of Black Gold, Wildcat and Trade Winds, with a shop and a Tap Room by the tanks.

Welcome

The Cairngorm Brewery has been making beer in Aviemore since 2001, from a timber-clad brewhouse on Dalfaber Drive at the edge of the village.

Its small team brews up to 6,500 litres a day on a twenty-barrel plant, with water from the Cairngorm mountains, and makes everything from a light continental-style beer to a traditional Scottish milk stout.

The old favourites are Scottish recipes, Black Gold, Wildcat and Stag, with newer brews such as Trade Winds, Cairngorm Gold and White Lady alongside; Black Gold was named Overall UK Supreme Champion in 2009 and has won gold again and again since. Tours of the brewing floor no longer run, but the shop is stacked with bottles and glasses, and in the Tap Room the beers are poured on draught beside the tanks, along with Highland wines, gins and whiskies. Groups of six or more can book a tasting from Tuesday to Friday. Dogs are welcome.

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Before you go

The shop and Tap Room open Monday to Friday from 11am to 5pm and Saturday from 10am to 5pm; closed on Sunday.

Tastings are for groups of six or more, Tuesday to Friday, booked ahead by phone; no stag or hen parties.

Hours
Mon to Fri 11:00 to 17:00; Sat 10:00 to 17:00; closed Sun.
Tastings
Groups of 6 or more, Tue to Fri, booked ahead.
Where
Dalfaber Drive, Aviemore, PH22 1ST.

Opening hours

Monday
11am–5pm
Tuesday
11am–5pm
Wednesday
11am–5pm
Thursday
11am–5pm
Friday
11am–5pm
Saturday
10am–5pm
Sunday
Closed

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Did you know

A brewery bar counter holds beer taps and a hand pump beneath a wall clock, pamphlets and a brewing poster laid out beside a bottle of hand sanitiser.
Did you know

Supreme Champion.

Black Gold, a dark Scottish ale, was named Overall UK Supreme Champion in 2009.

An antique glass yard-of-ale vessel stands mounted on a wooden base, a brass plaque naming the Cairngorm Brewery fixed beneath it.
Did you know

Eight more golds.

Since 2012 Black Gold has won eight more gold medals, in cask, keg and bottle.

A brewery building's exterior carries a row of circular product logos along its roofline, two barrels standing either side of the door between small display windows.
Did you know

6,500 litres a day.

The twenty-barrel brewhouse can make 6,500 litres of ale a day.

A timber-clad brewery shop entrance carries a round sign reading Cairngorm, Shop Open, crates and a barrel stacked outside the glass doors.
Did you know

Mountain water.

The brewery makes its ales with clear water from the Cairngorm mountains.

Rows of framed awards line a white wall above shelves of bottled beer either side of a doorway, a carved wooden figure standing near the entrance.
Did you know

A winter silver.

Black Gold took silver as a UK winter beer in 2026.

Hidden Scotland

From our guide to Cairngorms

Aviemore has brewed its own beer since 2001, in a timber-clad brewhouse on Dalfaber Drive at the edge of the village. The water comes off the Cairngorm mountains, and the range runs from a light continental-style beer to a traditional Scottish milk stout, with old favourites such as Black Gold, Wildcat and Stag. Tours no longer run, but the Tap Room pours the beers on draught right beside the tanks, along with Highland gins and whiskies. The shop is stacked with bottles to take home, and dogs are welcome.

Read more
Shelves of bottled beer with printed labels stand beneath a branded cap hanging from the shelf edge, a glass door reflecting light beside them.
What is on

What is new across Cairngorms, day by day.

New places, news and stories, as we find them.

What is on in Cairngorms
01 / 07
Where it is

Dalfaber Drive, Aviemore.

Close byIn Aviemore.
  1. Fruit scones fresh from the oven.Route 7 CaféA family café upstairs on the Dalfaber estate at the edge of Aviemore, with hearty food, lighter dishes and a welcome for dogs.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Play golf in the CairngormsUnder a mile 1 min by road
  3. The dining room at Delaneys', with dark tables laid by tall windows on Grampian Road.Delaneys'Under a mile as the crow flies
  4. Sunlight slanting across the tables and wooden chairs in the Old Bridge Inn's dining room.The Old Bridge InnA pub on the bank of the Spey in Aviemore, once a gamekeeper's cottage, with a log fire, seasonal cooking and dinner every evening.1 mile as the crow flies
  5. Two guests by the wood-burning stove.Foxfire CoffeeA speciality coffee bar just outside Aviemore, with cinnamon buns baked in house and views towards the northern Cairngorms.1 mile 5 min by road
  6. RothiemurchusRothiemurchusA Highland estate of ancient pinewood, lochs and hill by Aviemore, cared for by the Grant family since the 16th century.2 miles 9 min by road
Directions
The Cairngorm Café at the foot of the mountain.CafeCairngorm Café0.6 miles
Floured hands shaping dough on a dark, flour-dusted worktopRestaurantsLa Taverna1.4 miles
A steam train at Boat of Garten.AttractionsStrathspey Railway2.3 miles
A climber crossing between platforms among autumn trees.AttractionsTreeZone Aviemore2.3 miles
The Barn at Rothiemurchus, a timber building under the pines.CafeThe Barn at Rothiemurchus2.4 miles
A handler in tweed raising a gloved hand as a golden eagle lands beside him, CairngormsShoppingRothiemurchus Farm Shop2.4 miles
Falconer in a field flying a bird of prey towards his gloved handAttractionsRothiemurchus Falconry2.5 miles
Aerial view of a red-roofed cabin on a forested loch shoreAttractionsLoch Vaa2.9 miles
Coylumbridge Aviemore Hotel entrance lit up at dusk, surrounded by pine treesActivityThe Fun House at the Coylumbridge Hotel3.1 miles

Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the brewery, and when each is next free.

A landscape view of Park Cottage in the snow, its windows lit, forest and a white hill behind.Park Cottage
  • Sleeps 6
  • In Kincraig
  • 5 miles from the Cairngorm Brewery
Free 31 Oct – 2 NovTimber-clad lodge with balcony overlooking a loch, framed by bare branchesStrathspey Lodge
  • Sleeps 8
  • In Carrbridge
  • 7 miles from the Cairngorm Brewery
Check datesEast Dell in spring sunshine, a low stone cottage with a red door and a mossy roof beside its garden and an old oak.East Dell
  • Sleeps 5
  • In Nethy Bridge
  • 8 miles from the Cairngorm Brewery
Check datesA wooden gate in a picket fence opens onto Little Dell's green garden, with cow parsley and a wooden bench beyond.Little Dell
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Nethy Bridge
  • 8 miles from the Cairngorm Brewery
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in the CairngormsAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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