Scottish Beer Awards

What Scottish Beer Awards does

Scottish Beer Awards is Scotland's leading national awards programme for the brewing industry, founded in 2016 and operated by KD Media, a privately held Scottish events and PR company (registered in Scotland as SC244168). The programme recognises the best breweries, beers, and talent across Scotland through an annual competition judged by an independent panel comprising academics, experienced business judges, and taste judges. Over a decade of operation, it has expanded from a standalone awards ceremony into a multi-category competition covering brewery recognition, beer style awards, low/no alcohol variants, beer destinations, and product development teams, and now integrates with the Beer Matters Conference.

The business operates an event-driven GTM model, monetising through two primary streams: ticket sales for the integrated Beer Matters Conference and Awards ceremony (a £75.00 delegate pass for 2026 is publicly disclosed), and sponsorship packages that provide brand exposure to over 800 named individuals in the Scottish brewing industry. Named sponsors include BarthHaas X (which presents the Scottish Brewery of the Year category), Vision Events Glasgow, The BEN (official charity partner), dramscotland.co.uk, and Daily Business (media partner). Distribution is regional and Scotland-only, executed via the company's own website (scottishbeerawards.co.uk) and direct sponsorship sales handled by a single contact ([email protected]).

The company sits within KD Media's broader portfolio of category-specific Scottish industry awards, alongside the Scottish Gin Awards, Scottish Whisky Awards, Scottish Rum Awards, and the Scottish Distillers Conference. The 10th Annual Awards were held in October 2025 at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange; the 11th Annual competition is open for entries and the Beer Matters Conference is relocating to the DoubleTree by Hilton, Glasgow Central for 2026. The firm operates with approximately 6 employees and is privately held with no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed financials.

Name

Scottish Beer Awards

Legal name

KD Media

Website

https://scottishbeerawards.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Scottish Beer Awards, operated by KD Media, is Scotland's leading national brewing awards programme, running an annual judged competition and integrated Beer Matters Conference for Scottish breweries, suppliers, and industry professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Awards & Events

NAICS

Breweries (312120)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Event & Tournament Sponsorship (Title/Presenting Sponsors, Official Suppliers) (MPAKALAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Beer, Brewery & Craft Beverage Tastings (THAJAGAE)

Keywords

• Beer industry awards
• Brewing competition
• Craft beer recognition
• Industry conference events
• Sponsorship marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue generated from selling delegate passes for the Beer Matters Conference and Awards ceremony. Tickets are sold at a fixed price point for attendees.
2. Sponsorship: Sponsors gain valuable exposure for their brand; increasing their marketing activity direct to over 800+ named individuals in the Scottish brewing industry. Sponsors include BarthHaas X, Vision Events, The BEN, dramscotland.co.uk, and Daily Business.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Scottish Beer Awards operates Scotland's leading national awards programme for brewing, judging beers across multiple categories by an independent expert panel. The awards are integrated with Beer Matters Conference, an annual industry event. Revenue is generated through sales of delegate passes for the conference/awards ceremony and through corporate sponsorship packages that provide marketing exposure to the Scottish brewing industry.

Product overview

The Scottish Beer Awards operates as an annual awards competition and industry conference platform. The core product is the Scottish Beer Awards programme, which celebrates excellence in Scottish brewing across multiple categories recognizing breweries, beers, and teams. This is complemented by the Beer Matters Conference, which serves as the industry event bringing together the Scottish brewing sector. Ticket sales for conference attendance are offered as an additional product. The awards have grown from inception in 2016 to now celebrating over a decade of the Scottish brewing industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Scottish Beer Awards Annual national awards programme for brewing excellence in Scotland, judging beers and breweries across multiple categories through an independent expert panel. The awards celebrate the innovation, quality, and talent that define Scotland's brewing industry and form part of the Beer Matters Conference.
• Beer Matters Conference Annual industry event for the Scottish brewing sector, providing a day of networking, business development, insights, and celebration. The conference hosts the Scottish Beer Awards ceremony.
• Beer Matters ft Awards Delegate Pass Conference attendance ticket providing access to the full-day Beer Matters Conference event including networking, business development sessions, and the Scottish Beer Awards celebration. Sold to industry professionals at a fixed price point.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 800+ named individuals in the Scottish brewing industry reached through sponsorship marketing

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BarthHaas XcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerBarthHaas X is a sponsor of the Scottish Beer Awards and presents the Scottish Brewery of the Year award. They are the highest quality hops and hop products supplier and the largest supplier of hops and hop products in the world. They offer hop pellets, liquid hops, and brewing expertise to craft brewers across Europe.
• Vision Events GlasgowcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVision Events Glasgow is a sponsor of the Scottish Beer Awards, providing event and promotional support for the annual awards ceremony.
• The BEN (Benevolent Society of the Licensed Trade of Scotland)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe BEN is the official Charity Partner of the Scottish Beer Awards. Founded in 1864, the charity supports current and former drinks and hospitality employees with Christmas gifts, holiday gifts, annual pensions, and emergency grants. They also sponsor awards and contribute to HIT scholarships for young people in the trade.
• Daily BusinessminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDaily Business is the Media Partner for the Scottish Beer Awards. It is an online news and analysis service focused on business and politics, launched in 2014 by former Sunday Times and Scotsman journalist Terry Murden.
• dramscotland.co.ukminorGTM or Marketing Partnerdramscotland.co.uk is a sponsor of the Scottish Beer Awards, providing media coverage and promotional support for the Scottish brewing industry.
• Beer Matters ConferencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scottish Beer Awards is integrated with the Beer Matters Conference, the one industry event that brings the Scottish brewing sector together for a full day of insight, discussion, connection and celebration. The conference is held annually and hosts the awards ceremony.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Scottish Gin Awards: Directly comparable sister awards programme operated by the same parent (KD Media) for the Scottish gin industry. Operates on the same event-driven, sponsorship-and-ticket revenue model with annual judging and ceremony format, providing the closest functional benchmark for revenue and engagement scale.
• SIBA National Beer Awards: The Society of Independent Brewers' flagship UK beer competition for independent craft breweries. Directly comparable UK-focused beer awards programme serving a similar brewery and supplier audience, and the most relevant national-level peer.
• Scottish Rum Awards: Third KD Media-managed drinks awards programme targeting Scottish rum. Operates as a sister event with the same judging, sponsorship, and ticketing model, reinforcing the portfolio approach that frames the Scottish Beer Awards' growth ceiling.
• Australian International Beer Awards: One of the largest annual beer competitions globally, attracting thousands of entries from brewers worldwide. Comparable in terms of scale, judging structure, and category-led sponsorship economics despite geographic distance.
• European Beer Star: Major European beer awards competition held annually. Directly comparable European beer awards programme attracting sponsorship from international hops, malting, and equipment suppliers.
• World Beer Awards: The leading global beer awards competition, organised annually with category judging across global beer styles. Comparable as the international benchmark for beer awards programmes and the most likely competitor for global sponsor attention.
• International Brewing Awards: One of the oldest international brewing competitions, organised around an annual awards programme for global breweries. Comparable legacy beer awards event with established judging tradition and international sponsor base.
• Brussels Beer Challenge: Annual international beer tasting competition held in Belgium, judged by an international expert panel. Closely comparable event-driven beer awards business targeting global breweries and brewing industry sponsors.
• Scottish Whisky Awards: Another sibling KD Media awards programme focused on the Scottish whisky sector. Same operator, same annual awards + conference model, same sponsor portfolio structure — providing a near-perfect functional comparable for understanding revenue economics and engagement patterns.

Broad incumbents

• CAMRA Great British Beer Festival: The UK's largest beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale, which also runs beer awards (Champion Beer of Britain). Comparable as a UK-based beer event/awards organisation but operates at much larger scale and is consumer-facing rather than purely trade/B2B.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/scottish-beer-awards

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish Beer Awards