A craft beer and bottle shop in St Ives has made it to the finals of the prestigious Drinks Retailing Awards 2023 after only 17 months in business.

The Filling Station is nominated for the Independent Beer and Cider Retailer of the Year category and faces stiff competition from two bottle shops in London and Manchester.

The Hunts Post: The Filling Station in St Ives is located on Abbey Retail Park near Eric's Fish and Chips and Costa Coffee.The Filling Station in St Ives is located on Abbey Retail Park near Eric's Fish and Chips and Costa Coffee. (Image: Matthew Kelly)

Owner of the Filling Station, Matthew Kelly, said: “We’re over the moon to be nominated.

"We are still a relatively new business, so to have been recognised as one of the top three Craft Beer shops in the country is humbling and very exciting."

Matthew called the awards the equivalent of the "UK Off Trade Oscars", and hopes that their 10 draught beers and sustainability and refill angle will help them to "stand out from the crowd".

The Hunts Post: The Filling station team help serve draught beer from state-of-the-art dispense taps into refillable bottles that promotes sustainability.The Filling station team help serve draught beer from state-of-the-art dispense taps into refillable bottles that promotes sustainability. (Image: Matthew Kelly)

A mystery shopper will come into the shop in October to check everything from staff product knowledge to product merchandising, which will then be followed by an online interview process.

The results will then be announced at an awards ceremony on February 7 at the Dorchester Hotel in London.