Owner of Scotland's first alcohol-free bar eyes expansion into Edinburgh

Kate Kenyon opened Sobr in Aberdeen three months ago, with the business owner admitting that the reaction to the concept has been “incredibly mixed”.

Now, as custom grows, her hope is to branch out and set up a permanent premises in the capital.

Originally from Turriff, Ms Kenyon said: “Aberdeen is my home. I'm part of the community now. I've worked with local businesses and I just really love the city.

“ I did live in Edinburgh for a short space of time and I would love to open something there. I think that would be fantastic. That’s a goal for maybe 2027.

“ It'd be great to start up something in Edinburgh. We're hoping to do some popups in the summer in the city.”

Ms Kenyon, who is teetotal due to health issues, wanted to provide a safe space for those whose don’t drink alcohol, or who limit their intake.

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She said: “The reception (of the bar opening) was incredibly mixed and I don't think we quite appreciated how polarised people's opinions would be. We've had a lot of comments on social media saying things like ‘What's the point?’ and ‘it's not really a bar if there's no alcohol.’

“We've taken that on board and done some really funny stuff on social media with it, which is great. But on the whole, it's been so positive.

“Everybody that's come to the bar has had a lovely experience and given us really positive feedback. People who are within the community that needed that space have been talking about how it’s so special to them because they’ve not had somewhere like it before where they feel seen and feel safe.”

Ms Kenyon’s relationship with alcohol changed due to health issues She has chronic kidney failure, and is on to her second transplant.

The first failed due to drinking alcohol as a teenager, as she explained: “My first one (transplant) failed for a number of reasons, and one of them was not alcohol abuse, but abuse of alcohol. I was 19, I was a student. I was going out and having lots of fun with my friends, and I didn't realise the repercussions that that had on my body and my kidney at the time.”

Ms Kenyon stopped drinking and, along with her friend who also quit alcohol two years ago, realised there weren’t many places they could go where they were “the main focus of hospitality.”

She said: “We're aesthetic girlies. We like our cocktails. We like going out and having our pictures taken. We just didn’t have that and - with drinks - there wasn't that sophistication. That's where Sobr really stemmed from, was being able to have a place where everyone felt very included and could be at ease where there was no pressure to drink, but you still very much had that elevated, sophisticated feel of a bar where you could just come and chill and have some really, really nice drinks, accompanied with some great snacks.”