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.[8] Since then, English whisky has experienced a resurgence in production.[9]
History
Origins and discontinuation
England, like Scotland, has a history of producing single malt whisky. However, the production of English single malt whisky ceased around 1905 with the closure of Lea Valley Distillery, in Stratford, London, by the Distillers Company Limited, one of the forerunners of Diageo.[10]
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 (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 Liverpool (founded in 1781) — produced grain whisky.
Re establishment
In 2005, The English Whisky Co. Ltd got permission to build the first registered whisky distillery in England for over a century; it first release of single malt occurred in 2009; which became 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.[12]
Definition
Current Definition
There is currently no specific definition of English Whisky, however there is process being made on creating a statutory definition. English whisky producers currently follow EU Regulation (2019/787)) that define whisky alongside the British Standards institutes whisky guidelines.[13][a]
Definition guidance
On 12 September 2023 the British Standards Institute published its first guidelines on how English, ScotchWelsh and Irish whisky should be produced and packaged. These guidelines state that whisky must:
be caramel in colour
be matured for at least three years in wooden caskets
not be sweetened or have additives
ABV should be a minimum of 40%
distillation should be conducted at less than 94.8% volume.[15]
Definition changes
Legal definition
On 14 February 2022, the English Whisky Guild applied for a Geographical Indication (GI) in order to establish a legal definition for English Whisky,[14] with suggestions being submitted for what should be included in the GI, such as specifying that:
There are currently 49 English distilleries across 9 regions in England,[17] 26 independent distilleries and 23 distilleries that are members of the English Whisky Guild.[18]
The English whisky distilleries are all at various stages of development with the oldest St George’s Distillery brewing whisky for nearly 20 years [18] and The Cotswolds distillery is the largest producer of whisky in England.[19]
England has 49 distilleries in total across 9 different regions.[57][58]
Economic valuation
In March to April 2023 the EWG conducted a survey of English distilleries. The survey found there are currently 38,000 casks of English Whisky maturing in distillery warehouses with 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.[59]
Malt whisky is 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.[63]
Rye whisky
Rye whisky is produced using rye grain and is known to be peppery and spicy.
Whisky styles
Single malt whisky
Single malt whisky is produced using 100% single malt barley within a single distillery.
Blended whisky
Blended whisky is a combination of malt and grain whisky within a single whisky, these are often smoother and cheaper than single malt whisky.
Other styles
Single cask
Single cask whisky is bottled from a single cask or barrel without blending the whisky.
Cask strength
Cask strength whisky is bottled from the barrel without any additional water.
Peated
Peated whisky is produced using malt barley that has been dried over a fire, this gives the whisky a smokey flavour[64]
Flavour variations
English Whisky has 4 different flavour variations:
On 12 July 2018 the Lakes distillery auctioned and sold the first bottling of its Single Malt Whisky Genesis for £7,900 making it the most expensive bottle of English whisky sold at auction.[65]
Current record held at auction
On 8 September 2022 the White Peaks distillery auctioned its Wire Works Single Malt Whisky for £9,900 (US$11,377) setting a new record.[66]
Oldest whisky in England
On 30 November 2023 the English Whisky Co released their 16 year old port cask whisky, the oldest whisky in England.[67]
Net zero whisky distillation
On 6 November 2023 the Cooper King Distillery released a whisky distilled using only net zeroenergy.[68]
English - Scottish blended whisky
On 22 June 2018 the Lakes Distillery created an English - Scottish blended whisky.[69][70]
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.[73]
London
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.[74]
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