Edinburgh-based sour beer producer Vault City is on track for its best-ever year, with turnover expected to reach £10 million in the next two years despite the slowdown across the craft brewing sector.
The specialist brewer reported that sales surged 38% year-on-year between April and December, driven by strong supermarket performance and rising international demand.
Vault City now sells its beers to 26 countries, with export sales increasing 62% year on year – led by the Nordics and France – and supplies more than 5,000 UK supermarkets through listings at retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and Waitrose.
The brewer delivered 50% year-on-year distribution growth, underpinning its continued retail momentum. It also ranked as the highest-rated brewery in UK retail, with the top two highest-rated beers nationally, according to beer review platform Untappd.
Recent figures from the Society of Independent Brewers and Associates (SIBA) showed that brewery closure rates increased ‘dramatically’ during 2025, up 37% on 2024, as economic pressures forced many out of business.
Market data from the tail end of 2025 also found that craft beer retail sales were down -7% year on year in the 12 weeks to 27 December.
Co-founder Steven Smith-Hay said: “It is undoubtedly a challenging time for the craft brewing sector, with closures ramping up last year across the industry.
“With the changes to duty and the minimum wage coming in from April, trading is likely going to remain tough – and we’re seeing these trends take place in other markets too, not just the UK.
“But people are still drinking beers – and consuming a wider variety than they were 10 or 15 years ago.
“Against that backdrop, we’ve aimed to stay true to our roots and focus on the quality of our products. Our signature sour style has broadly been overlooked and that has allowed us to grow to the size we are today, while maintaining our independence.”
Following two crowdfunder sales in 2024 and 2025, Vault City recently relocated to a new facility at BioCampus, within the Midlothian Science Zone. The crowdfunder sale discounted prices for consumers and trade customers, using reward-tier gifts and experiences to raise more than £330,000 – exceeding its £250,000 target by 32% – and supported the purchase of a site seven times the size of the brewery’s previous home.
The new 36,000 sq. ft. site gives Vault City the capacity to produce more than 10 million litres of beer a year, with scope to expand further as demand grows. In 2025, Vault City produced 14,384 hectolitres and sold 3.3 million cans of beer.
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