Type | Distilled beverage |
---|---|
Country of origin | England |
Introduced | First introduced/ Reintroduced (Active: 21 years, 5 months, 1 week and 3 days) |
Discontinued | C19th |
Alcohol by volume | 40%
[2] - 67.9%
[3] (46% avg alc vol %) |
Colour | • Caramel • Yellow |
Flavour | • sweet • savoury • spicy • smoky [4] |
Ingredients | Malt, Cereal Grains, Water |
Variants | Single Malt, Triple Malt, Blended Whisky, Single Cask, Small Batch |
Related products | |
Website | English Whisky Guild [5] |
English whisky (whiskey [a]) is a liquor made from cereal grains, malt and water. [7] [8] This includes malt whisky and grain whisky. [9] [10]
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. [11] By 2016, it had resurged. [12]
In 1825 the Chancellor of the Exchequer reduced the duty on alcohol and allowed distillers to sell directly to the public believing this would lead to distillers producing higher quality spirits, remove the rectification process which used dangerous chemicals, allow distillers to prosper and produce profit for the treasury. The reduction alcohol duty lead to the consumption of English spirits near doubling and the establishment of England’s reputation for distilling excellence, this alongside the introduction of the casks aged English whisky lead to an increase in demand of English spirits which accounted for a sixth of Englands revenue by 1885. [13]
In the 1887 book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard, the following English distilleries were listed: [14]
In 1903 Lea Valley Distillery, in Stratford, London 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. [15]
In 2005, The English Whisky Co. Ltd got permission to build the first registered whisky distillery in England for over a century. Its first release of single malt was in 2009. This was the only English Whisky to have been bottled and released for 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. [16]
There is a process underway on creating a statutory definition. English whisky producers currently follow EU Regulation (2019/787) that define whisky alongside the British Standards institutes whisky guidelines. [17] [b]
On 12 September 2023 the British Standards Institute published its first guidelines on how English, Scotch Welsh and Irish whisky should be produced and packaged. These guidelines state that whisky must:
On 14 February 2022, the English Whisky Guild applied for a geographical indication in order to establish a legal definition for English whisky. [18] Suggested criteria include:
There are currently 55 English distilleries across 9 regions in England, [22] [23] 26 independent distilleries and 24 distilleries that are members of the English Whisky Guild. [24]
The English whisky distilleries are all at various stages of development with the oldest St George’s Distillery brewing whisky for nearly 20 years [25] and the Cotswolds distillery is the largest producer of whisky in England. [26]
No | Distillery | Distributor | Start date | Area Served | Cite |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1. | The Oxford Artisan Distillery | Sip and Savour | October 20, 2020 | UK | [27] |
2. | Gullivers Whisky | BBC Spirits | March 1, 2021 | Europe | [28] |
3. | The English Whisky Co | Mangrove | March 18, 2021 | UK | [29] [30] |
East London Liquor Comoany | November 1, 2022 | ||||
4. | The Lakes Distillery | Monarq Group | May 15, 2023 | Caribbean, Latin America, US | [31] |
5. | Cotswolds Distillery | Illva Saronno | December 11, 2023 | UK, Benelux [c] [32] | [33] |
As of 2024 there are currently 20 brands of whisky in England.
Bimber, The Lakes and Cotswolds are the biggest brands of whisky in England by production. [34]
England has 55 distilleries across 9 regions. [35]
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 |
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. [36]
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. [37]
On June 4th, 2024 the English Whisky Guild published its first annual report. The report found that sales of English whisky last year equated to 5000 (9L) casks with 40% of English whisky being sold internationally as well as 250,000 people visiting English whisky distillery last year. [38]
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. [37] [39]
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. [40] |
Grain whisky | Produced at least partly from grains other than barley, such as maize, wheat and rye. [41] |
Rye whisky | Produced using rye grain and known to be peppery and spicy. |
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. [42] |
Peated | Produced using malt barley that has been dried over a fire; this gives the whisky a smokey flavour. [43] |
Cask strength | Bottled from the barrel without any additional water. |
Cornish whisky exists. [44]
English whisky has four flavours:
Name of distillery | Name of whisky | Date | Total | Cite |
---|---|---|---|---|
Lakes Distillery [d] | Genesis Single Malt Whisky | July 12, 2018 | £7,900 | [46] |
White Peaks Distillery | Wire Works Single Malt Whisky | September 8, 2022 | £9,900 ($11,337) |
[47] |
On 30 November 2023 the English Whisky Co released their 16 year old port cask whisky, the oldest whisky in England. [48]
On 6 November 2023 the Cooper King Distillery released a whisky distilled using only net zero energy. [49]
On 22 June 2018 the Lakes Distillery created an English - Scottish blended whisky. [50] [51]
On 01 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. [52]
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 [53]
On April 4, 2020 Gauntleys Whiskies began selling English whiskies from a range of distilleries including from the English Whisky Co, Filey Bay and Henstone Distillery. [54]
On November 23, 2023 Digital Distiller launched a specialist online English whisky and gin subscription service. The service list over 50 different English whiskies bottles as well as selection of English Whisky casks which are obtained through direct partnerships with distilleries. [55] [56]
Award | Name of distillery | Date | Name of Whisky | Awarding organisation | Location | Cite | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
World’s Best Single Malt | Lakes Distillery [e] | March 24, 2022 | The Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.4 | World Whisky Awards | Merchant Taylors Hall | [57] [58] | |
English Whisky Co | 22 March 2024 | Sherry cask single malt whisky | |||||
Gold Medal | Cotswolds Distillery | 29 March 2019
2024 |
(1) Founder's Choice Single Malt Whisky
Harvest Series (2) Flaxen Vale Single Malt Whisky |
San Francisco World Spirits Competition (2024) (1) | ADI 2024 International Spirits Competition Awards (2) | [59] [60] | |
Circumstance Distillery | April 30, 2024 | (1) Single Grain Estate Whisky | [61] | ||||
Most Popular Whisky Distillery [f] | Cotswolds Distillery | May 27, 2024 | The Cask Connoisseur 2024 Whisky Index | [62] |
On November 18, 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. [63]
On November 28, 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. [64]
On August 28, 2018 the Wine and Spirit Trade Association launched an English - Welsh Whisky Trail. [65]
English distilleries that are on the trail include:
Name of Book | Author | Year | ISBNs | Cite |
---|---|---|---|---|
Jim Murray’s Whisky Bible 2020/2021 | Jim Murray | 2020
2021 |
ISBN
9781838320713,
1838320717 ISBN 9781838320706, 1838320709 |
[67] [68] |
The Whisky Dictionary | Ian Wisniewski | 2019 | ISBN 9781784726393, 1784726397 | [69] |
The Science and Commerce of Whisky | Ian Buxton, Paul S Hughes | 2020 | ISBN 1788017102, 9781788017107 | [70] |
The New Single Malt Whiskey | Carlo DeVito | 2016 | ISBN 9781604336474, 1604336471 | [71] |
English Whisky
The Journey from Grain to Glass |
Ted Bruning
Rupert Wheeler |
2024 | ISBN 9780008621551, 0008621551 | [72] |
Whisky
Castle, Ian (16 May 2014). "". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
Rowley, Tom (9 February 2014). "English distillers race to profit from the £4bn whisky boom". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 March 2014.