THE brothers behind a successful Scottish brewery business have opened their first pub.
Wasted Degrees, which is based in Blair Atholl, has opened its first pub on George Street in Perth.
After a soft opening to friends and family last Sunday, the pub officially opened to the wider public on Thursday, August 6.
Situated in the former BrewDog bar, businesses and residents have warmly welcomed the latest addition to Perth city centre.
It is now 10 years since Pitlochry brothers Conall and Jack Low established Wasted Degrees and the business has expanded from its humble beginnings.
Initially, Conall was brewing beer in his parents’ garage in a 25-litre plastic bottle. Now Wasted Degrees brews up to 29,000 litres per month and export beer to 13 countries.
Speaking after Sunday’s soft opening, Jack Low said: “We are chuffed to bits with the response from everyone. It was just lovely to see the team out and people that know us from Blair Atholl that made the journey.
"There was standing room only. We are really grateful.”
The decision to open a bar in Perth came about as a result of the delays with their brewery plans in their hometown.
In June 2024, Wasted Degrees was granted planning permission to build a brewery, taproom and shop on Pitlochry’s Ferry Road. The plans were unanimously approved by Perth and Kinross Council’s (PKC) Planning and Placemaking Committee.
Following a judicial review – which found that PKC’s assessment in relation to ancient woodland had not been clearly carried out – councillors on the Planning and Placemaking Committee were asked to reconsider the planning application in February 2025 and, once again, unanimously approved the proposal.
However, an objector – who lives around 100m from the development site at Bobbin Mill – called for a judicial review of whether the February 2025 decision had been made in accordance with the law. The legal challenge failed in November 2025.
The objector has appealed the court’s decision, which will go before the Court of Session on November 3, 2026.
Jack said: “With the delays to our build in Pitlochry, we did not want to sit on our hands.
“We took a glass half-full approach to life and business and want to build on the success of the brewery and taproom in Blair Atholl.
“We’re now the largest brewery in Perthshire. This year alone, we’ve created an additional three full-time jobs and our production output has grown 55 per cent year on year.
"As much as the Pitlochry situation is frustrating and has delayed some of the economic development we can create for the local area, our new Perth pub is a step forward and we look forward to beginning construction of our new site in Pitlochry some time in 2027.”
Council leader and local councillor Eric Drysdale said he was “delighted” to welcome Wasted Degrees to Perth.
The SNP Perth city centre councillor said: “Delighted to welcome you to Perth City Centre and I hope the business thrives.
“I’ll certainly pop in before long to say hello.”
Perth City Centre LibDem councillor and licensing board convener Peter Barrett said. “It is good to see Wasted Degrees opening their new premises in George Street. I’m particularly pleased to see the empty former BrewDog bar opening its doors again.
“It’s great to see a local Perthshire company expanding its operations into Perth and bringing new jobs to the city centre.
"We know this is a very difficult trading period for the hospitality industry and I hope Wasted Degrees can help enhance Perth’s night-time economy.”
