McEwans is the best buy, the best buy in beer?

So farewell S & N, as another Scottish-headquartered company falls to the ravening foreign hordes.

Over the years, you may have produced some ropey old beers - Tartan Special, anyone? But at least you produced them from a Scottish base. And, in your old age, you had the sense to associate yourself with the Caledonian Brewery, makers of the admirable Deuchars and Caley 80/-.

Now you have been taken over by the European owners of the lager that reaches the parts that other beers don't reach and of probably the worst lager in the world. Ignominious.

I suppose that it could have been worse - you might have fallen to the Americans.