An Edinburgh beer has been crowned the UK’s ‘Beer of the Year’ at the prestigious London Beer Competition 2025.
Edinburgh-based Cold Town Beer clinched the top national accolade for its flagship beer, Barrel Aged Imperial Stout – Speyside Cask Matured.
Now in its eighth year, the London Beer Competition has become one of the most respected and international beer competitions in the world. Unlike traditional competitions that judge beers solely on taste, the London Beer Competition rewards beers based on quality, value, and packaging – the three key factors that influence consumer buying decisions.
This year’s competition brought together a panel of some of the most influential beer buyers, bar owners, and industry experts from around the world. The judging took place in London, where hundreds of beers from more than 20 countries were blind-tasted, assessed, and scored.
Winning a category award at the London Beer Competition means that Cold Town Beer’s Barrel Aged Imperial Stout – Speyside Cask Matured stood out among its global peers in one of the most demanding tasting rooms in the industry.
Ian Kennedy, Head of Production for Edinburgh’s Cold Town Beer, said:
“We’re absolutely thrilled. We’ve spent the last seven years building a range we’re truly proud of, and it’s incredibly exciting to see Cold Town getting national recognition. This beer is something special. It’s a celebration of everything we’ve been working toward, and a real moment for our team to put Cold Town firmly on the map.”
The base beer for Barrel Aged Imperial Stout is taken from Cold Town Beer’s Topic Thunder Stout, which took home a gold medal at last year’s London Beer Competition.
Even before the win, the Edinburgh brewery knew they had something special on their hands, so they filled a Speyside whisky cask with 400 litres of Topic Thunder and left it to mature. One year later, they emptied the cask to create an extremely limited run of 875 cans, enriched with smooth whisky character and deep complexity.
This process took Topic Thunder one step further, refining an already award-winning beer into something truly exceptional. The result is a beer that helped Cold Town Brewery clinch the title of ‘Beer of the Year – United Kingdom’.
Euan Bain, Director at Cold Town Beer, added:
“From day one, we set out to create beers that were full of character and brewed with care—and our Barrel Aged Stout is the perfect example of that ethos. Maturing it in Speyside whisky casks was a passion project for the team, and the result has exceeded all our expectations. To see it recognised as Beer of the Year – United Kingdom is a huge honour and a testament to the dedication of everyone at Cold Town.”
For more information on Cold Town Beer’s Barrel Aged Imperial Stout and to purchase online, go to https://coldtownbeer.com/product/barrel-aged-imperial-stout
For more information on Cold Town Beer and its core range, go to coldtownbeer.com and follow on social media, including Instagram www.instagram.com/coldtownbeer and Facebook www.facebook.com/Coldtownbeer
For more information on the London Beer Competition, go to londonbeercompetition.com
