Jeremy Clarkson’s ambitions for his premium beer brand, Hawkstone, are anything but modest. What began as a local collaboration using barley from his Diddly Squat farm is now Britain’s fastest-growing privately owned brewery — and it’s just getting started.
Launched in 2021, Hawkstone is brewed in partnership with the Cotswold Brewing Company and is now served in more than 500 pubs across the UK. The brand, co-owned by Clarkson and entrepreneur Johnny Hornby, posted sales of £7.8 million in the year to March, and plans are underway to push into international markets.
“It is a fun business,” said Clarkson. “When you go out with people in brewing, they actually have a pint — and then usually another. I enjoy that a lot more than water at lunch.”
The original idea was simple: combine Clarkson’s media profile with British farming and quality brewing. Hawkstone uses barley grown on his 1,000-acre farm and has positioned itself as a premium product — a shift from its early tongue-in-cheek branding ideas like “Lager McLagerface”.
“Once we realised how much brewing actually costs, we knew it had to be premium,” Clarkson explained. The name ‘Hawkstone’ comes from a neolithic standing stone near his farm.
Support authors and subscribe to content
This is premium stuff. Subscribe to read the entire article.
