Tap Yard Takes Over Former Innis & Gunn Site Glasgow 2026

Key Points

• Tap Yard, a popular Merchant City sports bar, has taken over the former Innis & Gunn taproom site on West Nile Street in Glasgow city centre
• Work has already begun to transform the West Nile Street site at 22-24 West Nile Street into Tap Yard’s second venue
• Tap Yard opened in Merchant Square in summer 2023 and has become the go-to spot for watching live sports seven days a week
• Innis & Gunn’s Glasgow City Centre taproom closed after the company went into administration on Friday, March 6, 2026
• C&C Group, the Irish drinks giant behind Tennent’s Lager, purchased Innis & Gunn’s brand and intellectual property for £4.5 million
• All three Innis & Gunn taprooms in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee were not included in the deal and have closed permanently
• Around 100 workers face redundancy following the acquisition
• The Tap Yard is located at 17 Bell Street, Merchant City, Glasgow G1 1NU, with opening hours Sunday-Thursday 12pm-12am, Friday-Saturday 12pm-1am
• Innis & Gunn’s city centre taproom opened in November 2022 at 22-24 West Nile Street as their second Glasgow venue alongside Ashton Lane premises
• C&C Group had already been brewing much of Innis & Gunn’s beer and previously held a minority stake in the company
• Administrators stated that declining consumer spending and rising cost pressures resulted in significant margin and liquidity pressure for Innis & Gunn

Glasgow (Glasgow Express) June 12, 2026 – As reported by Euan Moore of City Live Glasgow, a taproom that closed in the city centre after its owners went into administration and sold up has been taken over by a Merchant City favourite. Work has already begun to transform the former Innis & Gunn site on West Nile Street into Tap Yard’s second venue in the city centre.

How Did Innis & Gunn’s Administration Affect Glasgow’s Taprooms?

According to BBC News, Scottish craft brewery Innis & Gunn collapsed into administration on Friday, March 6, 2026, before being swiftly purchased by C&C Group, the Irish drinks giant behind Tennent’s Lager.

The rescue deal, valued at £4.5 million, preserves the Edinburgh-founded brand but comes at a significant human cost, with around 100 workers facing redundancy following the acquisition.

Every Innis & Gunn taproom across Scotland will shut permanently as part of the administration process, with venues in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee all set to close their doors for good, alongside the company’s Perth brewery operations.

As reported by BBC News, over 100 positions will be eliminated following the acquisition of Scottish craft beer brand Innis & Gunn from administration by the proprietor of Tennent’s Lager.

Who Is Buying Innis & Gunn and What Are Their Plans?

C&C Group has acquired the brand and associated global intellectual property of Scottish brewer and retailer The Innis & Gunn Brewing Company Ltd out of administration for £4.5 million.

Christopher Bennett, Oliver Wright, and Samuel Ballinge, of FTI Consulting, were appointed as administrators on March 6, 2026, and immediately upon their appointment sold certain assets to C&C Group.

As stated by C&C Group in their official announcement,

“The acquisition represents an attractive opportunity for the group to further broaden its branded portfolio with a premium well-established brand”. The three taprooms in Edinburgh and Glasgow were not included in the deal and have closed.

C&C Group chief executive Roger White added:

“We expect this acquisition to make a small positive contribution to our overall financial performance in FY27”.

According to The Grocer, the transaction includes the brand and global intellectual property, bringing the well-known craft label fully into C&C’s portfolio.

What Is Tap Yard and Why Is It Popular in Merchant City?

As reported by Euan Moore of Glasgow Live, Tap Yard opened in Merchant Square in the summer of 2023 and has been the spot to go to watch all forms of sports. The venue is described as

“an exciting new bar concept situated in the heart of Glasgow’s Merchant City”

that offers chosen live sport seven days a week, followed by live music and entertainment Thursday through Sunday.

According to Tripadvisor, The Tap Yard is located at 17 Bell Street, Merchant City, Glasgow G1 1NU, and is ranked #788 on Tripadvisor among 2,213 restaurants in Glasgow. The venue has 31 unbiased reviews and offers breakfast, lunch, dinner, and drinks services.

As noted by The List, Tap Yard is

“a genuine sports bar in the Merchant Square, showing all sorts of different events, at the same time if necessary”.

The venue’s opening times are Sunday-Thursday 12pm-12am and Friday-Saturday 12pm-1am.

When Did Innis & Gunn’s City Centre Taproom First Open?

According to Scottish Licensed Trade News, Innis & Gunn’s flagship Taproom in Glasgow opened at 22-24 West Nile Street amongst a busy circuit of bars in November 2022.

The venue received planning permission for conversion in April 2022 and has since benefitted from ‘significant’ investment.

As reported by SLTN, after a ticket-only weekend launch party, the doors officially opened to the public on Monday, November 28, 2022. The new Taproom was Innis & Gunn’s second in Glasgow alongside its existing premises in Ashton Lane.

What Happens to Glasgow Drinkers Now?

The Tap Yard takeover means that one of Glasgow’s popular sports bars will expand into the city centre, providing drinkers and sports fans with an additional venue in the West Nile Street location.

The transformation work has already commenced, indicating that the new Tap Yard venue should open relatively soon.

Innis & Gunn’s closing leaves a gap in Glasgow’s taproom scene, particularly for craft beer enthusiasts who regularly visited the brewery’s taprooms.

The Ashton Lane venue in Glasgow’s West End remains open, but the city centre location on West Nile Street is now being repurposed.

C&C Group’s acquisition preserves the Innis & Gunn brand for continued brewing and distribution, but the physical taprooms will not reopen under the brewery’s ownership.

This represents a significant shift in Glasgow’s craft beer landscape, withTap Yard emerging as the new operator of the former Innis & Gunn site.

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Background of the Development: Innis & Gunn’s Administration and Tap Yard’s Expansion

The Innis & Gunn taproom closure and Tap Yard takeover represents two separate but connected developments in Glasgow’s hospitality sector.

Innis & Gunn, founded in Edinburgh, had established itself as a prominent Scottish craft brewery with multiple taprooms across Scotland.

The company went into administration on March 6, 2026, due to a combination of declining consumer spending and rising cost pressures that created significant margin and liquidity difficulties.

C&C Group, which had already been brewing much of Innis & Gunn’s beer and held a minority stake, purchased the brand and intellectual property for £4.5 million.

However, the physical taprooms in Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Dundee were excluded from the deal and closed permanently, resulting in approximately 100 job losses across the company’s operations.

Tap Yard, simultaneously, represents a growth story in Glasgow’s hospitality sector. Founded by Iain Reid, who also runs Metropolitan Bar in Merchant Square, Tap Yard opened in summer 2023 and quickly became popular for its live sports coverage.

The venue’s success has enabled Tap Yard to expand with a second location, taking over the vacant Innis & Gunn site on West Nile Street.

The West Nile Street location at 22-24 West Nile Street has been vacant since Innis & Gunn’s closure, creating an opportunity for Tap Yard to establish its presence in Glasgow’s city centre while maintaining its existing operation at 17 Bell Street in Merchant City.

Prediction: How This Development Will Affect Glasgow Drinkers and Sports Fans

This development will affect Glasgow drinkers and sports fans in several measurable ways. Tap Yard’s expansion into the city centre will provide sports enthusiasts with an additional venue to watch live sports seven days a week, complementing their existing Merchant City location.

For regular Innis & Gunn taproom visitors, the closure creates a gap in access to the brewery’s award-winning beers in the city centre.

While the Ashton Lane venue remains open in Glasgow’s West End, city centre visitors will need to travel further or seek alternatives at Tap Yard’s new location.

Tap Yard’s reputation as

“the spot to go to watch all forms of sports”

suggests the new venue will attract sports fans who previously used Innis & Gunn’s taproom for social drinking and entertainment.

The venue’s offerings of live music and entertainment Thursday through Sunday may provide additional entertainment options for city centre visitors.

The transformation work already underway indicates the Tap Yard venue should open within months, providing Glasgow’s hospitality scene with renewed activity in the West Nile Street location.

This expansion demonstrates Tap Yard’s confidence in Glasgow’s drink market despite broader challenges in the hospitality sector, including Innis & Gunn’s administration and Merchant Square’s recent listing for sale at £5 million.

Glasgow drinkers will benefit from Tap Yard’s established approach to showing live sports while maintaining the venue’s pricing structure of ££-£££, which positions it as accessible for regular visits. The new venue’s opening times match the existing Tap Yard location, ensuring consistency for customers visiting both venues.