Hello. Last Friday, at around 10.25 my train pulled into Aberdeen and I alighted, skipped up Guild Street, then Bridge Street, up Windmill Brae and through the back entrance of The Grill, a former employer of both me and Mark P in other lives. I knew what I was going for; it had been calling me – one pint please of McEwan’s Export. My companion has already arrived.
After the usual pleasantries, he says: “They’re stopping making it, y’know.” I looked puzzled. He looked at me gravely. “Export, they’re stopping making it on draft, just cans.”
I can, at the time of writing, confirm I have found no verified reports that this is true. Last year Carlsberg Britivic, the latest in a long line of owners, confirmed it was discontinuing a number of beers which included McEwan’s 60/- (sad, no great disaster) and Wm Younger’s Tartan Special (no disaster at all). However, the fate of draft Export remains unconfirmed.
The spine of Scottish beer in the times of ale were based on four styles: 60 /- (Scottish light), 70 /- (Scottish heavy), 80/- (Scottish Export), 90/- ( Wee heavy). These were all examples of categorisations of beer that came mainly out of Edinburgh, and by extension Leith, of a malted variety and exported abroad as Scotch Ale.
What are we really losing if the rumours are true? Well, similarly to the point I made in my Beamish-related Newsround, sometimes it’s nice to still have things that are not super common and that you can associate with specific places. But when you have a beer that has traces of a lot of history, it’s sometimes just sad and a shame it won’t get its hipster revival. I would have inevitably complained about this, but unlike when it happened to Guinness at least it’d be saving something from potential semi-extinction.
There is a lot about financial services that could be considered “too big to fail”, and brewing certainly does not boast that. But similarly to McEwan’s and old Scottish brewing, aspects of the industry have been stopped, repackaged, moved, merged, separated, bought over and reemerged, etc.
Keeping track of that lineage can unearth facts to bore your colleagues with (I haven’t even started on pint glasses), I mean it is all very, very old.
Even if McEwan’s goes entirely, the Scottish beer scene has seen a revival in an interest in shilling adjacent brewing and Fierce and Brew Toon in Aberdeen, amid some of their nonsense like “big chomp caramel chocolate stout” and “Sour Sleigher: Triple Fruited Festive Sour” , have released pretty good exports. Sometimes, with the right work, it persists.
Anyway, targeted support is due to get fired up. There are thoughts, potential teething issues and plenty of chin stroking. People have valid concerns about mis-selling and what have you.
What I do think is interesting is that some of the original big and old institutions were set up in the first place to address a kind of targeted support. For some it was represented pretty evidently in the name, looking at you Scottish Widows. So whether targeted support is a success or not, I find it interesting how you can spot these evolutions within older established industries, and how sometimes they come back.
Whether Export will be on draft in the inevitable onslaught of Lidl pubs (see below) is something else to watch out for.
The News:
LANG CAT & CLIENT MENTIONS
Advised platforms’ gross sales hit £93bn in 2025
Some State of the Platform Nation findings.
Source: Professional Adviser
Are platforms ready for the bond revival?
GBST’s David Simpson pens this one. Our work with Canada Life mentioned.
Source: Professional Adviser
Andrew Tully: The IHT on pensions illiquid assets challenge
Policy changes highlight need for advice.
Source: Professional Adviser
There’s a lot of really good talent that’s not coming through to advice
Morningstar Wealth’s head of distribution Ben Lester talks New Blood in this CPD piece.
Source: FT Adviser
Rahil Ram: Time to look again at currency risk
Cushon talks currency risk.
Source: Corporate Adviser
ADVISERS
FCA: We want advice firms to offer new fee structures
All I am going to say is that within two hours this article had 11 comments.
Source: Citywire NMA
‘There are not enough paraplanners to cover the roles’
Paraplanner Ellie Bailey talks to FT Adviser about setting up a new business.
Source: FT Adviser
PLATFORMS
Why hoarding cash margin is not just a platform issue
Source: Professional Adviser
PROTECTION
CII report ‘labelling problem’ as barrier to vulnerability management
According to the CII’s Road to the Consumer Trust report.
Source: Money Marketing
UnderwriteMe reveals impact of life policy pricing confusion
Research suggests 14% of consumers don’t know where to begin or who to trust when researching life insurance.
Source: Money Marketing
INVESTING & WEALTH MANAGERS
Darius McDermott: How does HALO hold up in a volatile market?
A look at ‘heavy assets, low obsolescence’ stocks.
Source: Money Marketing
REGULATION & POLICY
Only 7 firms have applied to give targeted support as rules go live
It’s here.
Source: FT Adviser
AI
AI has arrived in auditing. Are regulators ready?
A lot of sensible thinking in this. That naturally does not mean any of it comes to pass, but at least we have a look into what we could have won if it all goes to pot.
Source: FT
PENSIONS & RETIREMENT
Four ways to fix pension transfer delays
PensionBee have some notions on how to fix the issue.
Source: FT Adviser
FCA expected to align trail commission with Consumer Duty rather than ‘switching off’ service
A recognition of potential complications.
Source: Professional Adviser
Heads must be pulled out the sand if we want to tackle pensions
A call to action.
Source: FT Adviser
TRADE & ECONOMY
Why this oil shock is different
“The outcome of the Iran war remains unclear, but the resulting oil shock has revealed a novel vulnerability in the global economy. Never has the world entered a crisis of any kind with such high deficits and debt levels.”
Source: FT
Head of IMF says Iran war will permanently scar global economy even if peace is reached
Oh, goody.
Source: The Guardian
Iran war risks triggering next financial crisis, warns Bank of England chief
Oh goody x2.
Source: The Telegraph
Wealth gap between old and young has been overstated since 2010, IFS finds
Related to some problems the ONS had with its methodology in recent years.
Source: FT Adviser
CRAZY CAT STORIES
Susie the Cat fans say statue would boost tourism
Dorset tourism board really firing on all cylinders.
Source: BBC News
OUTSIDE THE TRADE
Lidl begins building its first pub at site in Dundonald, Northern Ireland
Perhaps far from the strangest thing seen in East Belfast. Seen as an attempt to skirt strict licensing laws.
Source: BBC News
Sean McKinven is PR account executive at the lang cat
