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English whisky
Whisky distilled in England From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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English whisky (whiskey)[e] is a liquor produced in England from malt, grains and water.[11][12] It includes malt and grain whisky and is divided into single or blended.[13]
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English whisky, part of new world whisky category[14] is represented by a trade body called the English Whisky Guild.[15] As of 2025 there are 24 English whisky brands including Ad Gerfrin, Adnams, Cotswolds, Lakes, Oxford Rye, Sacred Spirits and English Whisky Co.[16] The oldest released bottle of English whisky is The English Founders Private Cellar 16 Years Old Port Cask.[17]
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History
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In 1636 the Worshipful Company of Distillers was granted a charter to produce spirits, including whisky.[18]
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 which involves removing impurities from the spirit. These changes were expected to bolster distillers' prosperity and to 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.[19][20] Coupled with the introduction of cask-aged English whisky, this boosted demand for English spirits, which accounted for around 16% of England's revenue by 1885.[20]
In the 1887 book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard, the following English distilleries were listed:[21]
- 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".[22]
- Vauxhall Distillery in Vauxhall, Liverpool (founded in 1781) — produced grain whisky.
In 1903 Lea Valley Distillery, owned by The Distillers Company closed and they moved production to Scotland due to the expanding popularity and production of gin and Scotch whisky.[23]
In 2005, The English Whisky Co. Ltd. received permission to construct the first registered whisky distillery in England in over a century.[24] 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.[25]
As of 2025 the English whisky category is around 20 years old having being established in 2006.[26]
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Definition
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A process is under way to create a statutory definition for English whisky,[27] with one notable area requiring that grains and water to be locally sourced which is unique to English whisky within the British Isles.[28][29]
Currently, English whisky producers adhere to EU Regulation (2019/787) which sets the criteria for whisky and specifies that whisky must be matured in wooden casks for three years, contain no additives or sweeteners except for E150a, be matured to a minimum ABV of 40% and have a final abv of less than 94.8% ABV.[30]
English whisky also follows the guidelines of the British Standards Institute.[31][f]
Guidance
On 12 September 2023, the British Standards Institute published its first guideline BS 8636 for the production and packaging of English, Scotch, Welsh, and Irish whisky. These guidelines specify that English whisky must have a caramel colour, be matured in wooden casks for a minimum of three years, contain no additives or sweeteners except for E150a caramel colouring, be matured to a minimum abv of 40% and have a final strength of less than 94.8% abv.[33]
Legal
An English whisky GI is currently in progress to define the production and labelling of English whisky with a decision due on 19 May 2025.[34]
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The English whisky GI is a proposed legal framework that includes two types of whisky malt whisky and grain whisky and two sub-divisions single and blended.[35] To be defined as English whisky a whisky must be:[36]
- Made from U.K cereal grains and English water
- Milled and fermented in England
- Distilled in England to an ABV of less than 94.8%
- Matured in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres for at least 3 years, to a minimum ABV of 40%; and
- Contain no additional sweeteners or additives except for E150a.
The English whisky GI specifies that an English single malt must also be made using malt barley from England and distilled in copper pots at a single distillery in England[37]
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Production
English whisky has more regulatory flexibility than traditional whisky producers, enabling more experimentation with a range of styles, grain selection, cask ageing and blending techniques.[38]
Spirit still at St George's Distillery
Fermentation
English whisky has innovated its production with different types of yeast fermentation, with many distilleries using their brewing expertise in order to craft distinctive flavours. Notable examples include Grasmere Distillery, which uses ale yeasts and cold fermentation for fruity new make spirits; Lancaster Spirits Co., employing 200-year-old yeast and slow fermentation for aromatic, complex whisky, often bottled as new make; and Cotswolds Distillery, which uses dual yeast strains to produce vibrant, fruity spirits before maturation. The aim of this innovation is to create flavour from the onset and make yeast-driven whiskies that challenge traditional methods.[39]
Attributes
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Types
Malt whisky
Produced using malt barley, distilled in copper pots twice and matured in wooden casks of at least 700 litres (150 imp gal; 180 US gal) 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. It has a peppery and spicy taste.
Cornish whisky
Produced using local produce and is distilled, matured and bottled in Cornwall.[42] There are currently 2 distilleries that produce Cornish whisky Pocketful of Stones Distiller and Hicks and Healeys[43][44]
Bourbon (Bourbon-style)
Produced to the same specifications as the USA but with UK ingredients. There are currently three distilleries that produces bourbon: White Peaks Distillery,[45] Penrock Distillery[46] and Doghouse distillery, with the product marketed as “Bourbon style” in the USA due to labelling laws.[7]
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.[47]
Peated
Produced using malt barley that has been dried over a fire; this gives the whisky a smokey flavour.[48]
Cask Strength
Bottled from the barrel without any additional water.
Characteristics
Flavours
English whisky has four flavours types, sweet containing tones of vanilla, oats and fruit, savoury containing tones of rye bread and herbs, spicy containing tones of cooking spices, pepper, gingerbread and citrus and finally smoky containing tones of oak, peat, leather.[49][50]
Colour
English whisky has a variety of different colours ranging from caramel to yellow.[51]
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Distilleries
Distilleries
There are 61 distilleries in England as of 2024,[52] 26 of these distilleries are part of the English Whisky Guild.[53][54] The oldest, St George's Distillery has brewed whisky for almost 20 years.[55] The Cotswolds distillery is the largest producer of whisky in England.[56]
Regions
 | This section is missing information about the regional distilleries (see south east sub section). (April 2025) |
The English whisky distilleries are spread across nine regions with each containing the following: North East England has two, Yorkshire and the Humber has seven, the East Midlands has two, the East of England has three, London has six, the South East of England has twelve, South West England has fifteen, the West Midlands has six and North West England has eight.[57]
South East
The South East of England has total of 12 distilleries including: The Oxford Artisan Distillery, Black Bottle Distillery, Isle of Wight distillery, Copper Rivet Distillers, Anno Distillers and Canterbury Brewers & Distillers.[58]
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End stages
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Independent bottlers
There are 18 independent whisky bottlers in England,[59] including Cadenhead, That Boutique-y, North Star, Watt Whisky, Berry Bros & Rudd, The Heart Cut, The Whisky Show and Thompson Bros.[60]
Distributors
Sip and Savour
On October 20, 2020, the Oxford Artisan Distillery entered an ongoing partnership with Sip and Savour to provide distribution within the United Kingdom.[61]
BBC Spirits
On March 1, 2021, Gullivers whisky entered an ongoing partnership with BBC spirits to provide distribution with Europe.[62]
Mangrove
On March 18, 2021, the English Whisky Co entered an ongoing partnership with Mangrove to provide distribution in the United Kingdom[63] and on On November 1, 2022, the East London Liquor Company entered a similar partnership.[63]
Monarq Group
On May 15, 2023, the Lakes distillery entered an ongoing partnership with the Monarq Group to provide distribution in the Caribbean, Latin America and the US.[64]
Illva Saronno
On December 11, 2023, the Cotswolds distillery entered an ongoing partnership with Illva Saronno to provide distribution in the United Kingdom and Benelux.[h][65]
ImpEx Beverages
On April 6, 2022, the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery entered an ongoing partnership with ImpEx Beverages to provide distribution in the US.[66]
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Trade
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Economic valuation
From March to April 2023 the English Whisky Guild conducted a survey of English distilleries. The survey found that there were then 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 with 97% of distilleries making single malt and a quarter of distilleries making whiskies using other grain such like rye. The total value of the maturing stock was estimated to exceed £1 billion during that period.[67]
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.[68] The total value of English whisky sold domestically and internationally was £1 billion.[69]
In July 2024 English whisky for 26% of new products listed in a twelve-month period and over 50% of the total volume of English of spirits products listed since June 2023.[70]
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.[67][71]
International trade
United States
Market access
On 25 June 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.[72] 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.[73]
On 3 January 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.[74]
Tariffs
On 2 April 2025 the United States placed tariffs of 10% on English whisky[75]
On the 4 April 2025 Morag Garden CEO of the English Whisky Guild made a statement pointing to the importance of the US market for English whisky sales, and confirming that the EWG will work with the UK Government and members of the industry to ensure fair and open trade and support the growth for English whisky.[76]
India
On 6 May 2025 India and the U.K signed a trade agreement that brought the tariffs for English whisky from 150% to 75% and is due to drop to 40% by the tenth year of the agreement.[77]
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Activities
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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).[78]
Net zero whisky distillation
On 6 November 2023 the Cooper King Distillery released a whisky distilled using only Net zero emissions energy.[79]
Fully English blended whisky
On 28 March 2025 Woven whisky release the world's first fully English blended whisky Experience No 22 Pastures New. It consists of whiskies from 6 distilleries including Cotswolds, White Peak, Cooper King, Copper Rivet, Fielden and Adnams and is valued at £55 or $71 USD.[80]
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.[81]
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[82]
International awards
On 30 April 2024, the Circumstance Distillery Single Grain Estate Whisky earned a gold medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition.[83]
Events
The English whisky festival is an annual whisky event that is hosted by the English Whisky Society / Explore English Whisky. It takes place in Birmingham at different points in November. There have been three events so far which have included master classes and whisky tasting.[84]
The first event took place on 18 November 2023, it was hosted online due to COVID-19,[85] and contained 30 whiskies from 14 distilleries.[86] The second event took place on 18 November 2023, it consisted of 32 distilleries and contained two whisky master classes, one by the Cooper King Distillery and one by The English Whisky Co.[85] The Third Event took place on 23 November 2024, it consisted of 30 whisky distilleries and contained a selection of festival exclusive whiskies, some of the oldest English whiskies available and a free whisky tasting glass.[87]
English whisky day
English whisky day is an annual whisky event that takes place at Westminster Hall in London to promote and bring awareness of the sector.
The first event was held on 28 November 2023 and consisted of 16 whisky producers.[88] A second event was held on 14 March 2025 which was hosted by the MP for Thirsk and Malton Kevin Hollinrake which was attended by 50 MP's and Lords and over 200 guests.[89][90]
Whisky Trail
On 28 August 2018, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association launched an English-Welsh Whisky Trail.[91] English distilleries that are on the trail include Adnams Cooper House Distillery, Chase Distillery, Cotswolds Distillery, The English Whisky Co, and The Lakes Distillery.[92]
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See also
References
Further reading
External links
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