Bishops Finger

Shepherd Neame

£30

ABV 5.2% | 2.7 UK Units / Bottle Bishops Finger Kentish Strong Ale takes its name from the finger-shaped signposts which pointed pilgrims on their way to the tomb of Thomas Becket in Canterbury and was the first strong ale to be brewed by Shepherd Neame after malt rationing was eased in the late 1950s. A rich, ruby-coloured classic ale, Bishops Finger is one of the UK’s oldest and best-loved bottled beers. It also holds EU Protected Geographical Indication, recognising its unique provenance. Tasting Notes: " Fashioned on a firm, fruity foundation of Crystal malt, this rich, ruby-coloured Kent

Shepherd Neame's own words, read from their page.

Buy from Shepherd NeamePrice seen 2026-09-04. Affiliate link.

Where this comes from

The part other shops don't tell you. Three separate questions, kept separate on purpose, each with its source.

UK company
Registered at Companies House as SHEPHERD NEAME LIMITED, number 00138256. Checked 2026-08-29.
Means the business is a British legal entity, not a British-sounding name owned elsewhere. It says nothing about where anything is made.
UK operations
Stated by the company: "Based in the medieval market town of Faversham in Kent, Shepherd Neame is an independent family business that has the distinction of being Britain's oldest brewer. We can trace Shepherd Neame's rich history back as far as 1698, and the history of brewing beer on our grounds in Faversham extends back even further." Source.
Means people employed here, or premises they actually work from. We keep this separate from the company badge because a registered office can be an accountant's spare room, and a company can be registered in Britain while everything it does happens somewhere else. Where we have not looked, we say so rather than assuming.
British-owned
Not established. Many companies file a statement rather than naming a controlling shareholder.
Read from the register of people with significant control, following the chain of holding companies. It does not gate anything: a firm can be made here and owned elsewhere, and that is worth telling you rather than hiding.
Where it is made
The maker doesn't say, so neither do we.
This is about the individual product, not the company. A British firm can sell things made abroad, which is normal and not a criticism. We would rather tell you which is which than average them into a score.