John Smith's Brewery
Encyclopedia
John Smith's is a brewery
founded in 1758 by Backhouse & Hartley at Tadcaster
in North Yorkshire
, England. John Smith bought the brewery in 1847. John Smith's is the sixth highest selling beer
brand in the United Kingdom
, and the highest selling ale
brand. The brewery is currently owned by Heineken.
, Yorkshire, the eldest of the five children of Samuel Smith, variously described as butcher and tanner, and his wife, Sarah Naylor, who had married at St Peter's seven years earlier. In 1847 the 23 year old John Smith bought a small, run-down brewery in Tadcaster from the widow of the grandson of Hartley of Backhouse & Hartley. He saw the opportunity to supply the burgeoning demand for sharper, lighter beers which were becoming popular. Smith died childless in 1879, and his interests were jointly inherited by his two brothers, William Smith and Samuel Smith
. William Smith bought Samuel's share of his brother's personal estate, but since the brewery was destined to pass to Samuel's sons (who continued to brew at The Old Brewery) he took the bold step of building a state-of-the-art new brewery for his nephews in 1883–4 at the enormous cost of £130,000. After William Smith's death in 1886, the firm continued to expand under the direction of his two young Riley nephews, henceforth known as Riley-Smith under the terms of his will.
The brewery won six gold medals in open competitions in Europe at exhibitions in Amsterdam (1883), Paris (1884), Antwerp and two in London (1885) and Paris (1887). In 1892 the brewery became a limited company. The famous Magnet trademark was first registered in 1911. The company was incredibly forward-thinking in its approach, and was one of the first companies in the United Kingdom to have its own laboratory. From 1948 the company exported beer to Belgium
where it was bottled and distributed by Tilkens brewery, and by a jointly run venture from 1964 onwards.
In 1953 the company went public. Trading profit in 1955 was £1.1 million, or £24 million in 2010 prices. In 1958 the company began to bottle Alken
lager at Tadcaster, in response to growing customer demand for lager.
In 1961 the company took over the Barnsley Brewery Company, adding 250 licensed properties to their growing estate. Although production was initially expanded at Barnsley, it was eventually closed in 1976 with the loss of 200 jobs. By 1967, after a series of acquisitions, John Smith's was the largest regional brewer in the country after Scottish & Newcastle
, with a market capitalization of £29.4 million, or £415 million in 2010 prices. Family interests still held around 10 per cent of the company at this time.
At the time of the £40 million (£480mn in 2010 prices) takeover by Courage in October 1970, John Smith's owned some 1800 pubs, hotels and freehold clubs spread over Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, County Durham, Cheshire, Lincolnshire,
Nottinghamshire and parts of Cambridgeshire and Shropshire. From 1970 until 1984, John Smith's produced entirely keg beer, and no cask conditioned beer. Open slate Yorkshire squares were used from 1913 until 1975; stainless steel Yorkshire squares were removed in the 1980s. By 1982, John Smith's was Courage's best selling brand.
John Smith's was originally brewed at the Old Brewery Tadcaster. However in 1884 William Smith, the brother of John, built a new, bigger brewery next door. Due to John's will the Old Brewery passed to Samuel, his nephew, who founded Samuel Smith Brewery
there.
Despite a £40mn takeover by Courage in 1970 and its subsequent takeover by Scottish & Newcastle
, who were themselves taken over by Heineken
in 2008, the Tadcaster
brewery is still where John Smith's beers are brewed, mainly due to the advantages of its site. Although the hard well water of Tadcaster (naturally rich in sulphate of lime, arguably better than the water of Burton on Trent), makes it ideal for brewing, it is no longer important due to technological advances. However, Tadcaster is a small town which provides plenty of land for expansion (the brewery has expanded significantly since 1884), and it is well situated near to the cities of Leeds
and York
and the M1 motorway
. Around 300 people are currently employed at the brewery.
The brewery brews roughly 4 million hectolitres of beer per year. It has has two keg lines, two bottle lines and one canning line. As well as John Smith's Original and John Smith's Extra Smooth it brews Newcastle Brown Ale, McEwan's Export and Murphy's Irish Stout, as well as lager brands Foster's and Kronenbourg 1664.
Tours of the brewery are available.
John Smith's is the fifth largest beer
brand in the United Kingdom
. The nitrogenated John Smith's Extra Smooth constitutes the majority of sales of the brand. It was introduced in cans in 1993 and in kegs in 1995. It is the leading brand of bitter
in the United Kingdom
. An "Extra Cold" variant was launched on draught in 2004. John Smith's Original is the same beer but is not nitrogenated. The cask conditioned John Smith's Cask is popular in Yorkshire and available nationally. The recipe of all of the aforementioned varieties is the same, and only the mode of storage and dispense differ. They are all brewed to 3.8 per cent ABV
.
John Smith's Magnet is brewed at Camerons Brewery
in Hartlepool
, although the cask version introduced in 1989 was discontinued in 2007. It is brewed to the same recipe as the other John Smith's, although it brewed to the slightly higher strength of 4 per cent ABV. It is typically only found throughout the North East of England and Yorkshire.
It was marketed in the South of England as John Smith's Yorkshire Bitter from the 1970s until the early 1990s.
In the ale category, its principal competitors are Tetley's Bitter
and Worthington
.
from the 1992 until 1998, and currently starring the popular comedian Peter Kay
since 2002. The Dee campaign was widely credited with catapulting John Smith's from number 16 to number 4 in the UK beer market, and toppling arch rival Tetley's Bitter
as the top ale brand.
Throughout the 1980s, Gordon Rollings
played the dour Yorkshireman "Arkwright" with his Jack Russell Terrier
called Tonto in a series of commercials for the beer. The adverts were only ever shown in the South of England, due to their view of Yorkshire which was regarded as "patronising nonsense". Sales of John Smith's Bitter doubled in 1981 due to more free trade outlets in the South of England stocking the beer, and this can be at least partly attributed to the Rollings advertisements. Ironically, the most successful of the John Smith's advertising campaigns was the low budget 'No Nonsense Man'.
, and introduced the John Smith's People's Race
in 2007. John Smith's is the biggest commercial sponsor of horse racing in the UK. One of the first races they sponsored was the John Smith's Cup (originally the Magnet Cup) at York in 1960. At over 50 years, it is the country's oldest continually commercially sponsored flat race.
From Brighton on the south coast of England to Perth, there are a total of 90 John Smith's No Nonsense races spread across 27 courses throughout the UK.
remarked that "I can think of many brewers who would love to have a beer that was sold in 100 outlets."
Brewery
A brewery is a dedicated building for the making of beer, though beer can be made at home, and has been for much of beer's history. A company which makes beer is called either a brewery or a brewing company....
founded in 1758 by Backhouse & Hartley at Tadcaster
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...
in North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire is a non-metropolitan or shire county located in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England, and a ceremonial county primarily in that region but partly in North East England. Created in 1974 by the Local Government Act 1972 it covers an area of , making it the largest...
, England. John Smith bought the brewery in 1847. John Smith's is the sixth highest selling beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
brand in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the highest selling ale
Ale
Ale is a type of beer brewed from malted barley using a warm fermentation with a strain of brewers' yeast. The yeast will ferment the beer quickly, giving it a sweet, full bodied and fruity taste...
brand. The brewery is currently owned by Heineken.
History
John Smith was born in 1824. He was baptized on 14 April 1824 at St Peter's Church, LeedsLeeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
, Yorkshire, the eldest of the five children of Samuel Smith, variously described as butcher and tanner, and his wife, Sarah Naylor, who had married at St Peter's seven years earlier. In 1847 the 23 year old John Smith bought a small, run-down brewery in Tadcaster from the widow of the grandson of Hartley of Backhouse & Hartley. He saw the opportunity to supply the burgeoning demand for sharper, lighter beers which were becoming popular. Smith died childless in 1879, and his interests were jointly inherited by his two brothers, William Smith and Samuel Smith
Samuel Smith Brewery
Samuel Smith's Old Brewery, popularly known as Samuel Smith's or Sam Smith's, is an independent brewery in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England. It is Yorkshire's oldest brewery, founded in 1758.-History:...
. William Smith bought Samuel's share of his brother's personal estate, but since the brewery was destined to pass to Samuel's sons (who continued to brew at The Old Brewery) he took the bold step of building a state-of-the-art new brewery for his nephews in 1883–4 at the enormous cost of £130,000. After William Smith's death in 1886, the firm continued to expand under the direction of his two young Riley nephews, henceforth known as Riley-Smith under the terms of his will.
The brewery won six gold medals in open competitions in Europe at exhibitions in Amsterdam (1883), Paris (1884), Antwerp and two in London (1885) and Paris (1887). In 1892 the brewery became a limited company. The famous Magnet trademark was first registered in 1911. The company was incredibly forward-thinking in its approach, and was one of the first companies in the United Kingdom to have its own laboratory. From 1948 the company exported beer to Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
where it was bottled and distributed by Tilkens brewery, and by a jointly run venture from 1964 onwards.
In 1953 the company went public. Trading profit in 1955 was £1.1 million, or £24 million in 2010 prices. In 1958 the company began to bottle Alken
Alken-Maes
Alken-Maes is a Belgian brewery created out of the 1988 merger of two small breweries, Maes, located in Waarloos and Alken. It was bought by Scottish & Newcastle in 2000, who were taken over by Carlsberg and Heineken in 2007.- History :...
lager at Tadcaster, in response to growing customer demand for lager.
In 1961 the company took over the Barnsley Brewery Company, adding 250 licensed properties to their growing estate. Although production was initially expanded at Barnsley, it was eventually closed in 1976 with the loss of 200 jobs. By 1967, after a series of acquisitions, John Smith's was the largest regional brewer in the country after Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle plc was a "long alcoholic drinks" company with positions in 15 countries, including UK, France and Russia. It was headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the last 20 years, S&N expanded significantly from its home base to become an international business with beer...
, with a market capitalization of £29.4 million, or £415 million in 2010 prices. Family interests still held around 10 per cent of the company at this time.
At the time of the £40 million (£480mn in 2010 prices) takeover by Courage in October 1970, John Smith's owned some 1800 pubs, hotels and freehold clubs spread over Yorkshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, County Durham, Cheshire, Lincolnshire,
Nottinghamshire and parts of Cambridgeshire and Shropshire. From 1970 until 1984, John Smith's produced entirely keg beer, and no cask conditioned beer. Open slate Yorkshire squares were used from 1913 until 1975; stainless steel Yorkshire squares were removed in the 1980s. By 1982, John Smith's was Courage's best selling brand.
Brewery
Samuel Smith Brewery
Samuel Smith's Old Brewery, popularly known as Samuel Smith's or Sam Smith's, is an independent brewery in Tadcaster, North Yorkshire, England. It is Yorkshire's oldest brewery, founded in 1758.-History:...
there.
Despite a £40mn takeover by Courage in 1970 and its subsequent takeover by Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle
Scottish & Newcastle plc was a "long alcoholic drinks" company with positions in 15 countries, including UK, France and Russia. It was headquartered in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. In the last 20 years, S&N expanded significantly from its home base to become an international business with beer...
, who were themselves taken over by Heineken
Heineken
Heineken is a Dutch beer which has been brewed by Heineken International since 1873. It is available in a 4.6% alcohol variety in countries such as Ireland. It is the flagship product of the Heineken company and is made of purified water, malted barley, hops, and yeast. In 1886 H...
in 2008, the Tadcaster
Tadcaster
Tadcaster is a market town and civil parish in the Selby district of North Yorkshire, England. Lying on the Great North Road approximately east of Leeds and west of York. It is the last town on the River Wharfe before it joins the River Ouse about downstream...
brewery is still where John Smith's beers are brewed, mainly due to the advantages of its site. Although the hard well water of Tadcaster (naturally rich in sulphate of lime, arguably better than the water of Burton on Trent), makes it ideal for brewing, it is no longer important due to technological advances. However, Tadcaster is a small town which provides plenty of land for expansion (the brewery has expanded significantly since 1884), and it is well situated near to the cities of Leeds
Leeds
Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...
and York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
and the M1 motorway
M1 motorway
The M1 is a north–south motorway in England primarily connecting London to Leeds, where it joins the A1 near Aberford. While the M1 is considered to be the first inter-urban motorway to be completed in the United Kingdom, the first road to be built to motorway standard in the country was the...
. Around 300 people are currently employed at the brewery.
The brewery brews roughly 4 million hectolitres of beer per year. It has has two keg lines, two bottle lines and one canning line. As well as John Smith's Original and John Smith's Extra Smooth it brews Newcastle Brown Ale, McEwan's Export and Murphy's Irish Stout, as well as lager brands Foster's and Kronenbourg 1664.
Tours of the brewery are available.
Beers
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
brand in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The nitrogenated John Smith's Extra Smooth constitutes the majority of sales of the brand. It was introduced in cans in 1993 and in kegs in 1995. It is the leading brand of bitter
Bitter (beer)
Bitter is an English term for pale ale. Bitters vary in colour from gold to dark amber and in strength from 3% to 7% alcohol by volume.-Brief history:...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. An "Extra Cold" variant was launched on draught in 2004. John Smith's Original is the same beer but is not nitrogenated. The cask conditioned John Smith's Cask is popular in Yorkshire and available nationally. The recipe of all of the aforementioned varieties is the same, and only the mode of storage and dispense differ. They are all brewed to 3.8 per cent ABV
ABV
ABV is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* Alcohol by volume, a measure of the alcohol content of alcoholic drinks* Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, Nigeria, from its IATA airport code...
.
John Smith's Magnet is brewed at Camerons Brewery
Camerons Brewery
Camerons Brewery ' is a brewing company founded in 1865 by John William Cameron in Hartlepool, County Durham.-History:...
in Hartlepool
Hartlepool
Hartlepool is a town and port in North East England.It was founded in the 7th century AD, around the Northumbrian monastery of Hartlepool Abbey. The village grew during the Middle Ages and developed a harbour which served as the official port of the County Palatine of Durham. A railway link from...
, although the cask version introduced in 1989 was discontinued in 2007. It is brewed to the same recipe as the other John Smith's, although it brewed to the slightly higher strength of 4 per cent ABV. It is typically only found throughout the North East of England and Yorkshire.
It was marketed in the South of England as John Smith's Yorkshire Bitter from the 1970s until the early 1990s.
In the ale category, its principal competitors are Tetley's Bitter
Tetley's Bitter
Tetley's was a brewery founded in 1822 by Joshua Tetley in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England which operated for 189 years until it was closed in June 2011. The brewery was owned by the Carlsberg Group and produced a range of beers, including Tetley's Bitter, and was the world's largest producer of...
and Worthington
Worthington
-Places:In England:*Worthington, Greater Manchester*Worthington, LeicestershireIn the United States:*Worthington, Indiana*Worthington, Iowa*Worthington, Kentucky, a city in Greenup County*Worthington, Louisville, Kentucky, a neighborhood...
.
Advertising
The beer partly owes its success to its "No Nonsense" marketing campaigns, initially starring then up and coming comedian Jack DeeJack Dee
James Andrew Innes "Jack" Dee is an English stand-up comedian, actor and writer known for his sardonic, curmudgeonly, and deadpan style.-Early life:...
from the 1992 until 1998, and currently starring the popular comedian Peter Kay
Peter Kay
Peter John Kay is an English comedian, writer, actor, director and producer. His work includes That Peter Kay Thing , Phoenix Nights , Max and Paddy's Road to Nowhere , Britain's Got the Pop Factor... and other independent productions which have included two sell out tours.-Early career:Peter Kay...
since 2002. The Dee campaign was widely credited with catapulting John Smith's from number 16 to number 4 in the UK beer market, and toppling arch rival Tetley's Bitter
Tetley's Bitter
Tetley's was a brewery founded in 1822 by Joshua Tetley in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England which operated for 189 years until it was closed in June 2011. The brewery was owned by the Carlsberg Group and produced a range of beers, including Tetley's Bitter, and was the world's largest producer of...
as the top ale brand.
Throughout the 1980s, Gordon Rollings
Gordon Rollings
Gordon Charles Rollings was a British actor who mainly appeared on television, but also appeared on-stage and in feature films. He was born in Batley, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England and started his career in radio in Israel...
played the dour Yorkshireman "Arkwright" with his Jack Russell Terrier
Jack Russell Terrier
The Jack Russell terrier is a small terrier that has its origins in fox hunting. It is principally white-bodied smooth, rough or broken-coated which is commonly confused with the Parson Russell terrier and the Russell terrier with the term "Jack Russell" commonly misapplied to other small white...
called Tonto in a series of commercials for the beer. The adverts were only ever shown in the South of England, due to their view of Yorkshire which was regarded as "patronising nonsense". Sales of John Smith's Bitter doubled in 1981 due to more free trade outlets in the South of England stocking the beer, and this can be at least partly attributed to the Rollings advertisements. Ironically, the most successful of the John Smith's advertising campaigns was the low budget 'No Nonsense Man'.
Sponsorship
Since 2005, John Smith's has sponsored the Grand NationalGrand National
The Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
, and introduced the John Smith's People's Race
John Smith's People's Race
The John Smith's People's Race is an amateur flat race for members of the public, held at Aintree Racecourse during the April Grand National meeting. It was introduced in 2006....
in 2007. John Smith's is the biggest commercial sponsor of horse racing in the UK. One of the first races they sponsored was the John Smith's Cup (originally the Magnet Cup) at York in 1960. At over 50 years, it is the country's oldest continually commercially sponsored flat race.
From Brighton on the south coast of England to Perth, there are a total of 90 John Smith's No Nonsense races spread across 27 courses throughout the UK.
John Smith's Cask
In mid 2007, Scottish & Newcastle moved production of John Smith's Cask from Tadcaster to Burtonwood near Warrington. However the beer brewed in Warrington was reported as having a differing taste and to be going flat too easily. Production was quickly moved back to Tadcaster until the problems were resolved.John Smith's Magnet
Heineken provoked the ire of lovers of cask conditioned John Smith's Magnet when it discontinued the beer. Heineken gave the fact that it was sold in only 100 outlets as its reason for discontinuing the beer. Journalist Roger ProtzRoger Protz
Roger Protz is a British writer, journalist and campaigner. He was an early member of the Campaign for Real Ale in 1971, and has written several books on beer and pubs...
remarked that "I can think of many brewers who would love to have a beer that was sold in 100 outlets."