Top six English whisky producers
As St George’s Day approaches this weekend, we take a look at some of the distilleries spearheading the English whisky movement.
Click through the following pages to see our pick of top English whisky pioneersScotch undoubtedly rules the roost when it comes to volume sales of whisky from the UK and Ireland, but a number of English producers have set their sights on increased shelf space.
There are only a few distilleries that are producing English whisky, and even fewer that have liquid old enough to be bottled and sold. But a number of new players have announced plans to join the whisky sector over the coming years after securing investment.
Based in locations ranging from central London to the beautiful countryside in Cumbria, here are some of the top distilleries producing English whisky.
The English Whisky Company
Based at St George’s Distillery in Norfolk, The English Whisky Company is currently the most prolific producer of English malt whisky. The distillery was founded in 2006 by farmer and businessman James Nelstrop and his son Andrew. Making peated and unpeated liquid, the Nelstrops have distilled almost 3,000 casks of English whisky and conduct a “rolling program of cask trials”.
In 2013, retailer Marks & Spencer announced plans to stock its own range of English whiskies, sourcing the liquid from The English Whisky Company. Andrew, whose father James passed away September 2014, told The Spirits Business that English whisky has the potential to “make shelf space more equal”, adding that once the spirit has achieved a certain status, “there will be no going back”.
Adnams
In 2013, Suffolk-based distiller and brewer Adnams released its first two unique English whiskies. Adnams Single Malt No.1 is made entirely from East Anglian barely and is matured in French oak casks. Meanwhile, Adnams Triple Grain No. 2 has been produced from East Anglian barley, wheat and oats and matured in virgin American oak barrels.
Last year, the company announced plans to spend £500,000 on expanding its distillery by installing an additional two pot stills and extra storage tanks. Adnams’ spirits business has grown “rapidly” over the last four years and has now reached full capacity.
Cotswolds Distillery
The Cotswolds Distillery, located in Stourton near Chipping Norton, began distillation of its single malt English whisky and English rye in 2014. Scheduled for release in 2017, the distillery’s single malt is created using locally grown barley. Founded by former hedge fund manager Daniel Szor, the distillery features a 500kg mash tun, 2,400l wash still, 1,600l spirit still and four 2,500l fermenters, meaning it can produce more than 100,000 bottles of Cotswold Single Malt Whisky annually.
Earlier this year, Cotswolds Distillery raised more than £1 million on crowdfunding platform Crowdbnk in order to double whisky production, expand its visitors’ centre and open a storefront in a nearby town. This was double the amount the company was aiming to raise, and is also a record amount for the website.
East London Liquor Company (ELLC)
Located in an old glue factory in Bow Wharf, London, ELLC has already released a London Dry Gin, Demerara Rum and 100% British Wheat Vodka. In 2015, the distillery – which feature two stills, one for vodka and gin and another for whisky – filled its first American virgin oak casks of rye whisky. The whisky will be matured on-site in the distillery’s cellar, while some stocks will be moved to warehouses in Sailsbury once capacity is full.
Distillers Andy Mooney and Tom Hills uses fermented mash from craft brewery Crate in Hackney Wick, and intends to bottle the rye without any additional colouring or flavouring. He intends to create some “very limited edition” bottlings and also experiment with yeast.
The Lakes Distillery
Touted as England’s largest distillery, The Lakes Distillery is based on a renovated 1850s Victorian model farm next to the Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria. The company has already launched a blend of whisky using liquid from across the British Isles – The One – and is currently distilling and ageing its own stocks.
The brainchild of former Isle of Arran Distillers co-founder Paul Currie and former Dewar’s master distiller Chris Anderson, The Lakes Distillery can produce up to million bottles of lightly peated single malt whisky each year, in addition to gin and vodka. The first 100 casks of whisky produced each year will also be set aside exclusively for Founders’ Club members.
The London Distillery Company
London’s first whisky distillery since Lea Valley closed its doors more than 100 years ago, The London Distillery Company, based in Battersea, intends to produce just 100 barrels of single malt whisky annually. The barley itself is sourced from Warminster Maltings in Wiltshire, just 100 miles from the distillery, as part of TLDC’s focus on sustainability, while the yeast used to ferment the mash is sourced from Surebrew in Surrey.
The distillery is inspired by 18th century entrepreneur and founder of The Intended London Distillery Company Ralph Dodd, naming its inaugural product – Dodd’s Gin – after the figure. Last year, the firm announced it was seeking funding of £1.5m to expand its business.
