How did whisky-making in England go from extinct with no distilleries to 50 distilleries in just 20 years? It was a mix of factors, from a “farm-to-bottle” fancy to the expiry of old laws that had minimum still sizes. The result?
The English Whisky Co kicked off the rebirth in 2006. They were soon joined by other players – notably Cotswolds – known for traditional methods with a twist in the fermentation process that produces fruity flavours fairly fast. Former Macallan master blender Dhavall Gandhi is behind the Lakes Distillery’s “holistic maturation” approach with many more joining in!
Notable are also those distilleries which took specialised approaches like Fielden, who honed the “grain” part of the revival with heritage grains and 19th century agricultural methods. On the other end of the specialisation spectrum lies Wire Works with their process focus. Founded in 2018, their distillery uses local live brewers’ yeast and a long fermentation, bringing a technical (even industrial?) approach to whisky-making.
- Cotswolds
- Cotswolds White Pheasant New Make Spirit (2022) 63.5%
- Cotswolds Founder’s Choice (2002)59.1%
- Cotswolds Harvest Series (2022) 52.5%
- Cotswolds Peated Cask (2022) 59.6%
- Cotswolds Sherry Cask Single Malt (2022) 57.4%
- Cotswolds Signature Single Malt (006/2018) 46% / 2022 @ London Whisky Show
- Cotswolds 3 year, Batch 1, 50.1% (TBWC) WL
- The English Whisky Company
- Fielden (Prev. The Oxford Artisan Distillery)
- Lakes Distillery Steel Bonnets 46.6%
- Wire Works (White Peak Distillery)
- English Blends
- BARLEY English Blended Malt Whisky 46% (The Heart Cut X)
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