Appearing 'shortly' at The Goth near you!

So what exactly are Gothenburg Principles?

It's both a long and a short story! Here's the short version, but you can link ....

In the mid-19th century, Sweden was experiencing difficulties with excessive vodka drinking. [Sound familiar?] The Swedish State resolved to ask municipalities to 'take into public ownership' the retailing of liquor. Each town set up its own arrangements and the 'best' arising was deemed to be in Gothenburg! There they resolved to franchise out retailing but only to allow the retailer to keep 5% of the profits; the balancing 95% went to the community.

Scotland had held close trading ties with Gothenburg ever since the town was established as a fort/ trading centre by the King of Sweden in 1621 when the Dutch drained the river delta by building canals. Jacobites fled there in 1746 after Bonnie Prince Charlie's cause was lost.

Sailors brought the Gothenburg Principles back to Scotland when 'prohibition talk' was abroad here at the end of the 19th century. And the same model was adopted not by communities as such but mine owners and philanthropists. This 'wise' alternative became the norm for 70 + pubs across the nation. Today only four seemingly still trade under their originating Gothenburg Principles - Armadale's Gothenburg, Newtongrange's Dean Tavern, Fallin's Gothenburg and our own Prestoungrange Gothenburgh [originally in 1908 The Forth Tavern]. N.B. Several others still have the name but not the Principles!



[For the internationally minded amongst us, it's less well known that Scottish influences led all Canadian Provinces to adopt a similar approach at the time of Prohibition in the USA, and it survives to the present day.]

Carnegie Porter was the famous brand in Gothenburg - founded by Scots brothers!

.... and it's still available today!



Here in The Pans, the Prestoungrange Gothenburg is proud to have brewed a very very popular porter too for some 5 years now. The latest beer mat not only promotes that fine ale but tells of the Gothenburg Principles on its reverse side!

P.S. The full story of our own Prestoungrange Gothenburg is linked HERE

P.P.S. The story of The Pans contemporary links with Gothenburg in Sweden, including three visits here by that city's Lord Mayor Jorgen Linder, is linked HERE