Old Tom
History of Old Tom
Is Old Tom the original craft beer? 126 years of history and countless awards would agree! Learn the story of our award-winning ale here
All you need to know about Old Tom
Old Tom has been on the prowl at Robinsons Unicorn brewery for more than 125 years and having used up none of his nine lives, there’s plenty of energy in the old cat just yet!
Each year, we mark our Old Cat’s birthday around the first weekend of November and celebrate Old Tom Day across our pubs; ensuring Old Tom drinkers are at the heart of the party.
Old Tom’s history highlights
The history of Old Tom
Old Tom has been on the prowl at Robinson’s Unicorn brewery for more than 125 years and he’s used up none of his nine lives. Come and explore the legend that was born in 1899.
1827 – How it all began
William Robinson became landlord of the Unicorn Inn in 1827 and bought the pub in 1838. The Unicorn Inn evolved to become the Unicorn Brewery, in which Old Tom was born.
1899 – Old Tom is born
As the old brewery cat, Tom basked in the sunshine our head brewer, Alfred Munton sketched him into immortality. Old Tom was first brewed on Wednesday 1st November 1899.
1920 – A new brew house
New coppers, to boil the wort and hops, were installed in 1920. They worked hard for over 90 years brewing Old Tom, before being replaced in 2012 with the brew house you see today.
1976 – Unicorn Packaging Centre
The Unicorn Packaging Centre opens, with a bottling capacity of 850,000 bottles a day, allowing Robinsons to start sharing the now famous Old Tom beer with the rest of the world.
1985 – Old Tom’s 50+ awards
Old Tom wins the first of over fifty awards in the 1985 ‘Brewing Industry International Awards’. Amongst other accolades he’s been crowned ‘Champion beer of Britain’ and ‘World’s best ale’.
Cooking with Old Tom
Discover mouth-watering meals, made with a liberal splashing of Old Tom’s finest ales.
Old Tom’s awards and recognition
When it comes to great tasting ale, Old Tom is the cat’s pyjamas as evidenced by the fact it’s bagged over 50 awards since 1968… and we anticipate many more to come! Take a few minutes to leaf through some of our favourites below. We particularly liked the citation from the World Beer Awards, who branded Old Tom as ‘dangerously drinkable’.
World Beer Awards
The World Beer Award selects, awards and promotes the ‘Best Beers in the World’. Described as “dangerously drinkable” and a “Mozartian symphony” of beer by the judging panel, Old Tom picked up the ultimate accolade when it was named the World’s Best Ale in 2007 & 2009.
Brewing Industry Awards
The Brewing Industry International Awards are often dubbed ‘the Oscars of the brewing industry’ – and with good reason. This award is a recognition by fellow professional brewers that a beer is an outstanding example of its style. Old Tom scooped awards here in 1985, 2005 & 2008.
CAMRA Champion
The Champion Winter Beer of Britain (also known as WiBOB) is an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), at their annual National Winter Ales Festival in January.
Old Tom has been blessed with a stunning seven awards in 1990, 1994, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2023.
Great Taste Awards
Out of nearly 13,000 products sent in from over 100 different countries, Old Tom was awarded the prestigious 3-star Great Taste award after leaving “the judges speechless when they tasted it”. Ginger Tom also scooped a 2-star Great Taste award and was highly praised for its “craftmanship” in 2019. 2020 also saw the world-famous ale win a 2-star Great Taste Award.
