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South Oxfordshire Brewery, also known as SOX, has acquired cask ale producer White Horse Brewery for an undisclosed sum. Based in Stanford-in-the-Vale, Oxfordshire, White Horse brews and distributes cask ales to pubs across the county. White Horse's selection of cask beers includes Village Idiot, Stable Genius, White Horse Bitter and Wayland Smithy. The deal will see SOX acquire the entire interest in the business from White Horse’s long-standing group of shareholders, which includes Titanic Brewery. SOX plans to increase White Horse’s brewing capacity and distribution across a wider region. Both businesses will continue to operate independently. However, they will "work together on certain initiatives, such as a joint ecommerce platform, a joint delivery operation and on certain events, such as beer festivals," said the company. As part of the agreement, Titanic will continue to operate the Royal Blenheim on Oxford's St Ebbes Street, where it will offer a wide selection of Titanic, White Horse and local guest beers. James Tomlinson, managing director at SOX, said: “We are delighted to be adding the White Horse Brewery to our existing SOX brewing operation and taproom. It’s a business that makes superb, balanced beers, and we’re really looking forward to working with the team there to get these fantastic liquids into the hands of more cask ale fans.”

He added: “There is a lot that the two businesses can collaborate on, and there are a lot of commonalities – not least a shared love of fantastic beers. We will certainly aim to position them as sister companies and help each other wherever possible".

Titanic Brewery's director, Keith Bott, commented: “It has been an absolute pleasure to be part of the White Horse journey over the past 18 years. The team produce some superb ales, and I know James and the team from South Oxfordshire Brewery will do a great job building the brand and bringing those beers to more drinkers."

"At a time when breweries are closing at an alarming rate, it’s a great comfort to see brewers and business owners coming together, committed to ensuring drinkers still have a wide range of quality drinks to choose from when they visit their local.”