Sir Ian Rankin launches Good Beer Guide as Edinburgh’s Oxford Bar makes cover history
Sir Ian was on hand to help launch the latest edition of the Good Beer Guide
Crime writer Sir Ian Rankin has helped launch the latest edition of the Good Beer Guide at an iconic Capital watering hole, which has made history as the first Scottish pub to feature on its cover.
The author, whose fictional detective Inspector Rebus is a regular at the Oxford Bar, joined members of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) at the Young Street venue on Thursday to unveil the 2027 guidebook.
Sir Ian wrote the foreword for the latest edition, which relies on an independent, volunteer-led rating system to list the definitive pubs serving the best cask beer across the UK.
Writing in the guide, he said: “What makes the perfect pub? Ask 50 people and you might get 50 different answers. My preferences might not be yours, but there are a few things we can probably agree on.
"We want the beer to be good and the welcome to be friendly. We want to see signs that the bar represents the best of its community or neighbourhood. We want to feel like we fit in.”
The 2027 edition features more than 300 Scottish pubs and 130 breweries.
Guide editor Emma Haines travelled to Edinburgh for the launch event, where local branch chair Chris Miller thanked Oxford Bar landlady Kirsty Grant for her hospitality, marking the pub's 30th inclusion in the guide since 1988.
The gathering was also used to highlight Camra’s ongoing political campaigns in Scotland. Mr Miller called for greater financial support for the hospitality sector through VAT cuts and a continuation of reduced business rates, alongside a complete overhaul of how rateable values are calculated.
He also demanded the closure of a legal loophole that allows freestanding pubs to be demolished without planning consent, and urged tied publicans to utilise the Scottish Pubs Code to stock independent guest beers.
Stewart Campbell, Camra Scotland director, added: “As the voice of beer drinkers, we are fighting every day for publicans and independent brewers, to make sure both the Scottish and UK Government are taking steps to support the places and the beers that we love."