Damm Buys Old Speckled Hen From Greene King

Damm has acquired Old Speckled Hen, one of Britain’s best-known premium ale brands, from Greene King in a deal that strengthens the Spanish brewer’s position in the United Kingdom and adds a distinctly British label to its growing international portfolio.

The company said the entire Old Speckled Hen range will be produced after a transition period at The Eagle Brewery in Bedford, England, the Damm plant that serves as its main production base outside the Iberian Peninsula. The brewery, located between London and Birmingham, was acquired by Damm in 2022 and has become central to the group’s expansion strategy in Britain.

The purchase comes as Damm says its international business now accounts for 30% of total activity. In the U.K., the company already sells Estrella Damm, Daura and Damm Lemon, and Old Speckled Hen now joins that lineup along with Old Golden Hen, Old Crafty Hen and Low Alcohol Old Speckled Hen.

Luke White, managing director of Damm UK, said the acquisition fits the company’s broader plan in Britain and gives The Eagle Brewery a stronger link to its history as a producer of ales. Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Greene King, said his company was pleased to have found a buyer that would continue brewing the brand in the U.K.

Old Speckled Hen was created in 1979 by Morland Brewery to mark the 50th anniversary of MG’s car factory in Abingdon, Oxfordshire. Over time it became one of the country’s most recognizable ales, part of a beer category that remains closely tied to pub culture and British brewing identity.

Damm said it has invested more than €80.5 million in The Eagle Brewery over the past three years, adding a canning line and equipment for nonalcoholic drinks and soft drinks. The company said those upgrades have doubled the site’s maximum production capacity to 1.8 billion liters a year.