The Shore Brewery, Alloa was built around 1816 by John McNellan. By 1860, McNellan, Sons & Co. had agencies in Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool and Newcastle-upon-Tyne. However, over the following year the company ran into financial difficulties and was put up for sale in 1862.
Postcard image of the Shore Brewery
In 1862 James Calder (1832 - 1917) acquired the business. James Calder's eldest son, John Joseph Calder (1868 - 1962), became manager of Calder & Co. in 1890. His second son James Charles Calder continued the family's timber and shipping interests and was later knighted for his services to the timber industry.
The Shore Brewery Yard c.1890 - Pic. The Noted Breweries of Great Britain and Ireland.
Not content with confining his energies to brewing, in 1874 James purchased the malt distillery of J.A.Vannen in Bo’ness and soon had it converted to grain whisky production. The grain whisky product was chiefly used for blended whisky, including Dewar's White Label. Bo'ness Distillery's switch to grain distilling allowed the distillery to become one of Britain's primary yeast factories for the baking and brewing industries. Four years later James acquired the Glenfoyle malt distillery in Gargunnock, near Stirling.
C.1900 James purchases Gartloch Distillery, Chryston, Lanarkshire.
In 1905, James Calder & Co (Alloa) Ltd was registered as a limited liability company to acquire the brewing business.
In 1907 James purchased the Stronachie Distillery in Forgandenny, Perthshire.
In 1910 Calder's won a gold medal at the Brussels Exhibition for its aerated beverage.
In 1913 John J. Calder was appointed manager, by the receiver of Samuel Allsopp & Sons Ltd, which was then in severe difficulties. He was also appointed chairman of Archibald Arrol & Sons Ltd, Alloa brewery, in 1918.
In November 1917 James Calder dies.
The company was re-registered as James Calder & Co (Brewers) Ltd in 1920 and the James Calder whisky interests were sold to James Dewar & Sons.
In 1920, following the decision in 1919 to introduce prohibition in the US, the Dalwhinnie distillery was sold to Macdonald Greenlees & Williams Ltd of Leith, headed by John's brother, Sir James Calder, who maintained the company name.
Brewing ceased at the Shore Brewery in 1921, with all of the company's brewing requirements being contracted out to Archibald Arrol & Sons Ltd at the Alloa Brewery. The company acquired a brewery at Ostend, Belgium in 1921. Further acquisitions were made including Robert Henderson & Co Ltd, The Mills Brewery, Alloa in 1944, Steel Coulson & Co Ltd's Greenhead Brewery, Glasgow, in 1946 and Geo. Thomson & Son Ltd, bottlers in 1950.
In 1926 Macdonald Greenlees & Williams Ltd of Leith is acquired by the Distillers Company Ltd.
The Shore Brewery, Alloa prior to demolition
In 1947 James Calder & Co (Brewers) Ltd became a Public Limited Company - it now owned five subsidiary companies in hotels, in wine and spirits, and in the bottling and aerated water businesses. They had also expanded brewing with the premises of Calders (Newcastle) Ltd.
From 1951, Archibald Arrol & Sons Ltd ceased to brew ale, and so although that firm continued to supply the company's lager requirements, all its other beers were supplied by John Jeffrey & Co Ltd, Heriot Brewery, Roseburn, Edinburgh. The company opened a new bottling plant at Bankhead Medway, Sighthill, Edinburgh in 1956.
The company was acquired in 1960 by Northern Breweries of Great Britain Ltd, later United Breweries Ltd, and ceased to brew that same year.
The original Shore Brewery has since been demolished.
The Calder brand was then re-introduced by Carlsberg-Tetley around 1995 and later by Belhaven (Greene King) before they retired the brand around 2009/10.
References:
Brewery History Society
Graces Guide
Archives Hub
Scottish Brewing Archive - SBAA Journals -volume 17-2017 "The Calders of Alloa" by Michael Clark
Michael Clark
Whiskipedia
Made in Perth