Grant Hutchison has played countless festivals during his music career — and now the former Frightened Rabbit drummer is preparing to launch one of his own. This time, however, the focus will be Scottish cider.
Jaye and Grant Hutchison in their shop and bar, Aeble. Photographs: Georgina Beard
It’s five years since he and his wife, Jaye, opened Scotland’s first dedicated cider shop, and 20 years since the release of Frightened Rabbit’s debut album, Sing the Greys.
Now, the couple are taking their passion to a new crowd by launching the Ubhal Cider Gathering, a festival they hope will push the often overlooked alcoholic beverage firmly into the spotlight.
The musician stepped away from full-time touring in 2018 following the death of his brother and bandmate, Scott Hutchison. While that marked a profound turning point in his life, his interest in cider had been fermenting for years beforehand.
“When we were touring, especially in places like Bristol, I’d bring cases of cider back up with me because you just couldn’t get the good stuff in Glasgow,” said Grant.
“I’d see this whole world of small producers making incredible cider and then come home and find none of it on the shelves: it was always just the usual suspects like Strongbow and Bulmers. There was such a gap there. People didn’t know what they were missing.
“Music is precarious and I was always thinking ahead to what I’d do in my 40s. I probably would have opened some sort of cider shop or bar regardless, I just didn’t realise it would happen in quite the way it did.”
The Hutchisons moved from Glasgow to the East Neuk fishing town of Anstruther during the pandemic. Spotting a vacant shop with a ‘for rent’ sign in April 2021, they decided to “take a punt” and open Aeble. Five years later, the pair are experiencing anything but a slower pace of life, with two young daughters and a thriving shop and bar which has become a hotspot for tourists and locals alike.
Before opening Aeble, Hutchison had established a wholesale cider distribution business supplying bars and restaurants in Scotland. But relocating to Fife made servicing the central belt impractical and forced a rethink.
He said: “With wholesale, you drop the cases off and that’s it. I wasn’t getting to see who was actually drinking it. I love standing in the shop, talking to someone about what they normally drink, guiding them through the different styles, and making sure they leave with something they’re going to enjoy.”
Now the couple are launching the Ubhal Cider Gathering on 28th March, at Custom Lane in Leith, Edinburgh, to “tackle cider’s perception problem”. The event will bring together 15 producers — 10 from Scotland and five from England — across two tasting sessions, limited to 100 tickets each. Tickets are available here.
“The UK drinks more cider than anywhere else in the world, but culturally it’s not treated with the same respect as wine or whisky,” said Grant. “That feels strange to me because the craftsmanship is absolutely there. It should be one of our national drinks. I hope this is the start of tackling cider’s perception problem.”
Jaye, who previously worked in events and hospitality, has worked to create a “welcoming space” rather than a niche specialist shop, inspired by both her time working in Melbourne and the couple’s 2019 honeymoon to Japan.
“You can walk into some wine shops and feel too intimidated to ask a question,” she said. “We’re the opposite. We talk to every single customer one to one, we explain the different styles and producers, and we make sure it feels open and friendly.
“We are winning over the locals and get everyone from cider aficionados to people who live round the corner and just want a chat to Frightened Rabbit fans who’ve made the trip especially.
“We love the idea of doing one thing really, really, well. Japan really made it clear in our minds that if you try to be everything to everyone, you’ll be nothing to anyone. Looking back, visiting the Golden Gai district and all its amazing specialist bars, meeting and talking to the owners who cared immensely about what they were doing, was when this idea really began to take shape.”
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