English whisky

English whisky

Type	Distilled beverage
Country of origin	England
Introduced	Est./ Re-est. 1636 2003
Discontinued	1905
Alcohol by volume	40% – 67.9%
Related products	Scotch, Irish whiskey, Welsh whisky
Website	EWG

English whisky (whiskey) is a liquor made from cereal grains, malt and water that is produced in England. This includes malt whisky and grain whisky.

Although England is not well known for whisky production, distillers operated in London, Liverpool and Bristol until the late 19th century, after which production of English single malt whisky ceased until 2003. By 2016, it had resurged.

There are currently 20 brands of English whisky including the English Co, Bimber, The Lakes and Cotswolds.

History

Origins and discontinuation

In 1636 the Worshipful Company of Distillers were granted a charter to produce spirits, including whisky, in of the City of London.

The Distiller of London title page

In 1825, the Chancellor of the Exchequer reduced the duty on alcohol and permitted distillers to sell directly to the public. The government believed this would encourage distillers to produce higher quality spirits, eliminating the dangerous rectification process. These changes were expected to bolster distillers prosperity and generate revenue for the treasury. The reduction in alcohol duty led to a near doubling of English spirit consumption and solidified England's reputation for distilling excellence. Coupled with the introduction of cask-aged English whisky, this boosted demand for English spirits, which accounted for one-sixth of England's revenue by 1885.

In the 1887 book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard, the following English distilleries were listed:

• Lea Valley Distillery, Stratford, Essex (founded in the late 19th century) — produced both grain and malt whisky.
• Bank Hall Distillery, Liverpool — produced grain and malt whisky.
• Bristol Distillery, Bristol (founded in the 17th century) — produced grain whisky which was "sent to Scotland and Ireland to make a Blended Scotch and Irish whisky, for whisky purpose it is specially adapted, and stands in high favour".
• Vauxhall Distillery in Vauxhall, Liverpool (founded in 1781) — produced grain whisky.

In 1903 Lea Valley Distillery, in Stratford owned by The Distillers Company Limited closed and moved their production to Scotland due to the expanding popularity of gin and the taking off of Scotch whisky.

Re-establishment

In 2005, The English Whisky Co. Ltd. received permission to construct the first registered whisky distillery in England in over a century. Its initial release of single malt whisky arrived in 2009, marking the first bottling and release of English whisky in over 100 years. In 2013, The London Distillery Company began production of the first single malt whisky in London since Lea Valley Distillery closed in 1903. Three other English distilleries, also producing whisky by 2014, were The Cotswolds Distillery, Ludlow Distillery, and The Lakes Distillery.

Definition

A process is underway to create a statutory definition for English whisky. Currently, English whisky producers adhere to EU Regulation (2019/787), which defines whisky, as well as the guidelines of the British Standards Institute.

Regulation (EU) 2019-787 currently regulates English whisky

Guidance

See also: List of British Standards

On 12 September 2023, the British Standards Institute published its first guidelines for the production and packaging of English, Scotch, Welsh, and Irish whisky. These guidelines outline the following requirements:

• Color: Caramel
• Maturation: Minimum of three years in wooden casks
• Sweeteners/Additives: None permitted
• Alcohol by Volume (ABV): Minimum of 40%
• Distillation: Less than 94.8% volume

Legal changes

On 14 February 2022, the English Whisky Guild applied for a geographical indication in order to establish a legal definition for English whisky. Suggested criteria include:

• All grain used in the production of English whisky must originate from the United Kingdom.
• The entire distillation process must be conducted within England.
• Maturation of the whisky must take place exclusively in casks within England.

The English whisky GI is due to become active this year.

Types, styles and characteristics

Examples of the types and styles of English whisky

Types
Malt whisky	Produced using malt barley, distilled in copper pots twice and matured in wooden casks of at least 700 litres for a minimum of three years.
Grain whisky	Produced at least partly from grains other than barley, such as maize, wheat and rye.
Rye whisky	Produced using rye grain and known to be peppery and spicy.
Cornish whisky	Produced using local produce and is distilled, matured and bottled in Cornwall. There are currently 2 distilleries that produce Cornish whisky Pocketful of Stones Distiller and Hicks and Healeys
Styles
Single Malt	Produced using 100% single malt barley within a single distillery.
Triple Malt	Aged in three types of casks, but not blended.
Blended whisky	A combination of malt and grain whisky within a single whisky. These are often smoother and cheaper than single malt whisky.
Single Cask	Bottled from a single cask or barrel without blending the whisky.
Small Batch	Produced by mixing the contents of a relatively small number of premium selected barrels.
Peated	Produced using malt barley that has been dried over a fire; this gives the whisky a smokey flavour.
Cask strength	Bottled from the barrel without any additional water.

Characteristics

Flavours

English whisky has four flavours:

• sweet (vanilla, oats, raisins, peach, apricot)
• savoury (rye bread, herbs)
• spicy (cooking spices, pepper, gingerbread, citrus peel)
• smoky (oak, peat, leather)

Colour

English whisky has a variety of different colours including caramel and yellow.

Distilleries and regions

Distilleries

Main article: List of whisky distilleries in England

There are 55 distilleries in England as of 2024, 26 of these distilleries are part of the English Whisky Guild.

The English whisky distilleries are all at various stages of development with the oldest, St George's Distillery, brewing whisky for nearly 20 years. The Cotswolds distillery is the largest producer of whisky in England.

Regions

The English whisky distilleries are spread across 9 regions: North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, East of England, London, South East, South West, West Midlands and the North West.

Numbers of distilleries by region

Region	Number
North East	3
Yorkshire and the Humber	5
East Midlands	2
East of England	2
London	4
South East	9
South West	11
West Midlands	6
North West	7

South East

There are six whisky distilleries in the South East of England: The Oxford Artisan Distillery, Black Bottle Distillery, Isle of Wight distillery, Copper Rivet Distillers, Anno Distillers and Canterbury Brewers & Distillers.

Bottling and distribution

Independent bottlers

Main article: List of independent English Whisky bottlers

There are 18 independent whisky bottlers in England, including Cadenhead, That Boutique-y, North Star, Watt Whisky, Berry Bros & Rudd, The Heart Cut, The Whisky Show and Thompson Bros.

Distributors

No	Distributor	Distillery (ies)	Start date	Area Served	Cite
1.	Sip and Savour	The Oxford Artisan Distillery	20 October 2020	UK
2.	BBC Spirits	Gullivers Whisky	1 March 2021	Europe
3.	Mangrove	The English Whisky Co	18 March 2021	UK
		East London Liquor Company	1 November 2022
4.	Monarq Group	The Lakes Distillery	15 May 2023	Caribbean, Latin America, US
5.	Illva Saronno	Cotswolds Distillery	11 December 2023	UK, Benelux
6.	ImpEx Beverages	Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery	6 April 2022	US

Trade

Economic valuation

From March to April 2023 the English Whisky Guild conducted a survey of English distilleries. The survey found that there are currently 38,000 casks of English whisky maturing in distillery warehouses, and an estimated 50,000 casks expected to be laid down by distilleries by the end of 2024. The total value of the maturing stock estimated to exceed £1bn during this period.

On 4 June 2024, the English Whisky Guild published its first annual report. The report found that sales of English whisky last year equated to 50,000 (9L) casks with 40% of English whisky being sold internationally as well as 250,000 people visiting English whisky distillery last year. The total value of English whisky sold domestically and internationally is £1bn

English whisky distilleries have created 443 jobs across England, and the product is sold internationally in 32 countries around the world, including: Japan, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Singapore and the United States.

International disputes

United States

On June 25, 2011, US authorities informed The English Whisky Co that it would not be able to sell English single malt whisky in the US market as it is produced using recycled oak barrels and US law requires that new oak barrels be used. The English Whisky Co accused the US of double standards, as whisky from other nations including Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France uses recycled barrels to produce whisky.

On January 3, 2013, after a five-year dispute, and lobbying the Foreign Office, UK trade bodies and the US embassy, The English Whisky Co was granted permission to sell English whisky in the US market.

Achievements and events

Achievements

Auctions

On 8 September 2022, the White Peaks Distillery auctioned its Wire Works Single Malt Whisky which sold for a total of £9,900 ($11,337).

Net zero whisky distillation

On 6 November 2023 the Cooper King Distillery released a whisky distilled using only Net zero emissions energy.

Partnership agreements

On 1 December 2021 Gullivers & Co signed a partnership agreements with England Rugby to produce rugby themed whisky which would become the official whisky of the English Rugby Union.

As of 2023 the partnership agreement between Gullivers and England Ruby is still active with England's No. 6 Single Malt Whisky becoming the latest English rugby themed whisky to be produced

International awards

On 30 April 2024, the Circumstance Distillery Single Grain Estate Whisky earned a gold medal at the international spirits challenge.

Events

Birmingham

On 18 November 2023 Birmingham hosted its second English Whisky Festival with 32 distilleries participating in the event. The event consisted of two whisky master classes, one by the Cooper King Distillery and one by The English Whisky Co as well as whisky tasting and other activities.

London

On 28 November 2023, 16 whisky produces attended the English whisky showcase at the U.K Parliament in Westminster Hall to promote and bring awareness to the growing English whisky sector in England.

Whisky Trails

On 28 August 2018, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association launched an English - Welsh Whisky Trail.

English distilleries that are on the trail include:

1. Adnams Cooper House Distillery
2. Bimber Distillery
3. Chase Distillery
4. Copper King Distillery
5. Copper Rivet Distillery
6. Cotswolds Distillery
7. Dartmoor Distillery
8. Durhams Distillery
9. East London Liquor Company
10. The English Whisky Co
11. Hicks and Healey Distillery
12. Isle of Wight Distillery
13. The Lakes Distillery
14. The London Distillery Co (Closed)

See also

• Food and drink industry in England
• New world whisky

References

General references

• Bruning, Ted; Wheeler, Rupert (21 November 2024). English Whisky: The Journey from Grain to Glass. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 978-0-00-862155-1.
• Buxton, Ian; Hughes, Paul S. (2021). The science and commerce of whisky (2nd ed.). London: Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 307. ISBN 978-1-78801-710-7.
• Murray, Jim (2020). Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2020. Dram Good Books Ltd. pp. 305–317. ISBN 9781838320713.
• Murray, Jim (26 November 2020). Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2021. Dram Good Books Ltd. pp. 297–330. ISBN 9781838320706.
• The New Single Malt Whiskey: More Than 325 Bottles, From 197 Distilleries, in More Than 25 Countries. Simon and Schuster. 25 October 2016. pp. 191, 193–196, 199, 201 (citations throughout the book). ISBN 978-1-60433-647-4.
• Ronde, Ingvar (26 October 2017). Malt Whisky Yearbook. MagDig Media Limited. ISBN 9780957655348.
• Whisky Opus: The Definitive 21st-Century Reference to the World's Greatest Distilleries and their Whiskies. Dorling Kindersley Limited. 3 September 2012. ISBN 978-1-4093-7580-7.
• Wisniewski, Ian (2019). The Whisky Dictionary. Octopus. pp. 25–30. ISBN 9781784726393.

External links

• English Whisky Geographical Indication (GI)

Organisations

• Exploring English Whisky
• British Distillers Alliance
• Briggs of Burton