Close Menu
Top 10

Celebrating new English distilleries on St George’s Day

From North Yorkshire to Dorset, SB is shining a light on a selection of English spirits producers to mark the patron saint of England.

Kent’s Copper Rivet Distillery began producing single malt English whisky last year

According to HMRC figures released by the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, 27 new English distillers were registered in 2016, bringing the country’s total to 118 – a 413% increase since 2010. Distilleries in England contributed two-thirds of the 45 new licenses granted in 2016.

With this in mind, The Spirits Business has picked out a selection of innovative English distilleries that are attempting to shake up the spirits sector.

Spanning whisky, gin, and vodka, there are a number of distillers creating bottlings that offer a “taste of the land” on which they were created, while others are innovating with unusual ingredients such as cow’s milk.

We previously looked at English whisky producers in 2015, and given the vast amount of distilleries since then, felt it was time to take a look at the latest batch of spirits producers hailing from England.

Click through the following pages to discover our pick of top English distilleries for St George’s Day. 

Have we missed off your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

Spirit of Yorkshire

Based in the village of Hunmanby in North Yorkshire, the ‘grain-to-glass’ Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery is an extension of Wold Top Brewery, where milling, mashing and fermentation operations are based, creating the alcohol wash for the whisky.

Brewery founder and local barley farmer Tom Mellor set up with distillery with his friend David Thompson in 2016, using his concerto spring barley crop to make single malt whisky. All water used in production is sourced from chalk aquifiers below the farm.

Mellor and Thompson were mentored by late whisky expert Dr Jim Swan in setting up Spirit of Yorkshire and commenced their innovative whisky-making operations in 2016.

Last month, the distillery launched its second limited-edition ‘maturing malt’ ahead of the debut of its single malt English whisky next year.

The Oxford Artisan Distillery

Last year saw the opening of a new grain-to-glass distillery in Oxford, which claims to be the only distillery in the world to use populations of sustainably grown ancient heritage grains.

The Oxford Artisan Distillery (TOAD) uses genetically diverse populations of rye, wheat and barley grown exclusively for the distillery on farms within a 50-mile radius of Oxford.

The ancient heritage grains were revived by archaeo-botanist John Letts and grown sustainably in ways last used in the 19th century in 150 acres of bio-diverse fields, known as land races, close to Oxford.

Earlier this year, TOAD launched Physic Gin, created in collaboration with the University of Oxford Botanical Garden.

The team also plan on launching a black pine whisky, an absinthe, a brandy – and casks of future Oxford Rye Whiskey are currently maturing.

Cooper King Distillery

Yorkshire-based gin and whisky distillery Cooper King – England’s ‘smallest’ whisky distillery – began production of its York Dry Gin earlier this year, with whisky production set to start next spring.

Abbie Neilson and Chris Jaume (pictured above) opened Cooper King Distillery in the village of Sutton-on-the-forest last year, converting a stable block into a distillery, warehouse, tasting room and shop.

The whisky will be made from Yorkshire barley, and the distillery aim to produce 150 bottles a month. The first whisky from Cooper King is slated for release in 2023.

The distillery also became the first European distillery to join international environmental initiative, 1% for the Planet, pledging to donate 1% of annual sales of Dry Gin to support non-profit organisations focusing on the environment.

Durham Distillery

Gin and vodka maker Durham Distillery first opened in 2014 by former National Health Service (NHS) chief Jon Chadwick.

Now, the distillery plans to relocate to Durham city centre as part of its expansion plans this year.

Subject to planning permission, the gin and vodka maker will open its new distillery within the impending £30m Riverwalk complex in Durham city centre this autumn. It is expected to create 20 jobs.

The distillery will be housed in a 4,000-square-foot site, where it will begin production of its first whisky, scheduled to be ready for consumption in 2021.

Led by head distiller Jessica Tomlinson (pictured), the new site will enable the distillery to increase its production and storage capacity, and become a “visitor destination”.

Copper Rivet Distillery

The Cooper Rivet Distillery, based inside the historic Pump House No. 5 at Chatham Maritime, first opened its doors in October 2016 and began distilling its Dockyard Gin and Vela Vodka brands.

Copper Rivet is the brainchild of Bob Russell and his sons Matthew and Stephen, who claim “everything from milling, brewing and fermentation of the malts and grains, distilling, resting and maturing of the spirits, to bottling and packaging will be done under one roof”.

The distillery started production of its single malt English whisky line in March last year, made using Kentish spring barley. Masthouse Whisky “follows the strict traditions and regulations for Scotch whisky”, requiring single malt to be brewed and distilled on the same site.

Copper Rivet also plans to create a single grain whisky and expand its single malt range with the addition of a Sherry cask-finished expression.

Bimber Distillery

London-based Bimber Distillery opened its doors in 2015 and produces a range of gin and vodkas. The distillery plans on releasing its first single malt whisky in 2019.

Distilled, bottled and labelled at the site in Park Royal, West London, Bimber uses only “natural ingredients and traditional methods” to craft its spirits.

Earlier this year, the distillery expanded its portfolio with a new range of products targeted at the on-trade.

Designed to fit into a speed rail, the new expressions feature a slightly different recipe to the distillery’s original vodka and gin, and also boast a new bottle design.

Black Cow Distillery

Black Cow Pure Milk Vodka, the world’s “first” vodka made entirely from cow’s milk, launched in 2012 and is made by separating milk into curds and whey, then fermenting and distilling the whey.

Produced by farmer Jason Barber, Black Cow Vodka is the only vodka in the world distilled entirely from whey.

The brand opened the doors of its Dorset distillery to tourists in April 2017 with the launch of two visitor experiences: The Black Cow Distillery Experience and The Black Cow Distillery Visit.

Harrogate Distillery

North Yorkshire-based Harrogate Distillery opened in 2015 in Harewell House Farm in the heart of Nidderdale.

The distillery produces gin for its Whittaker’s brand, as well as English Cassis Gin for UK-based department store Fortnum and Mason, and Double Sloe Gin for That Boutique-y Gin Company.

The Whittaker’s Gin maker recently revealed extensive expansion plans, which will allow the firm to open a visitor centre and start distilling its own whisky.

The distillery’s expansion will also include the installation of new stills and brewing equipment.

The Harrogate Distillery intends to install solar panels to several of its buildings and to begin constructing its own herb garden – part of a move to become more involved in the “holistic grain-to-glass process”.

It looks like you're in Asia, would you like to be redirected to the Drinks Business Asia edition?

Yes, take me to the Asia edition No