English whisky

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English Whisky
Whisky Glass (Cotswolds Whisky).jpeg
Type Distilled beverage
Country of origin  England
IntroducedFirst introduced/ Reintroduced

18th century / 1 January 2006 [1]

(Active: 21 years, 5 months and 4 weeks)
Discontinued19th century
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 [lower-alpha 1] ) is a liquor made from cereal grains, malt and water. [7] [8] This includes malt whisky and grain whisky. [9] [10]

Contents

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]

History

Origins and discontinuation

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]

Re-establishment

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]

Definition

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] [lower-alpha 2]

Guidance

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:

Distilleries

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]

Distributors

NoDistilleryDistributorStart dateArea ServedCite
1.The Oxford Artisan DistillerySip and Savour20 October 2020UK [27]
2.Gullivers WhiskyBBC Spirits1 March 2021 Europe [28]
3.The English Whisky CoMangrove18 March 2021 UK [29] [30]
East London Liquor Comoany1 November 2022
4.The Lakes DistilleryMonarq Group15 May 2023 Caribbean, Latin America, US [31]
5.Cotswolds DistilleryIllva Saronno11 December 2023UK, Benelux [lower-alpha 3] [32] [32]

Brands

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. [33]

Regions

England has 55 distilleries across 9 regions. [34]

Regions of England.png
Numbers of distilleries by region
RegionNumber
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. [35]

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. [36]

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. [37] The total value of English whisky sold domestically and internationally is £1bn [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. [36] [39]

Types and styles

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 whiskyProduced using rye grain and known to be peppery and spicy.
Cornish whiskyProduced 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]
Styles
Single Malt Produced using 100% single malt barley within a single distillery.
Triple MaltAged 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. [45]
Peated Produced using malt barley that has been dried over a fire; this gives the whisky a smokey flavour. [46]
Cask strengthBottled from the barrel without any additional water.

Flavours

English whisky has four flavours:

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). [48]

Net zero whisky distillation

On 6 November 2023 the Cooper King Distillery released a whisky distilled using only net zero energy. [49]

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. [50]

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 [51]

Stores

Gauntleys Whiskies

On 4 April 2020, Gauntleys Whiskies began selling English whiskies from a range of distilleries including from the English Whisky Co, Filey Bay and Henstone Distillery. [52]

Digital Distiller

On 23 November 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. [53] [54]

International awards

On 30 April 2024, the Circumstance Distillery Single Grain Estate Whisky earned a gold medal at the international spirits challenge. [55]

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. [56]

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. [57]

Whisky Trails

On 28 August 2018, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association launched an English - Welsh Whisky Trail. [58]

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) [59]

Bibliography

Name of BookAuthorYearISBNsCite
Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2020/2021Jim Murray2020

2021

ISBN   9781838320713 , 1838320717
ISBN   9781838320706 , 1838320709
[60] [61]
The Whisky DictionaryIan Wisniewski2019 ISBN   9781784726393 , 1784726397 [62]
The Science and Commerce of WhiskyIan Buxton, Paul S Hughes2020 ISBN   1788017102 , 9781788017107 [63]
The New Single Malt WhiskeyCarlo DeVito2016 ISBN   9781604336474 , 1604336471 [64]
English Whisky

The Journey from Grain to Glass

Ted Bruning

Rupert Wheeler

2024 ISBN   9780008621551 , 0008621551 [65]

See also

Economic

Liquors

Whisky

Wine

Organisations

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scotch whisky</span> Malt or grain whisky distilled in Scotland

Scotch whisky is malt whisky or grain whisky, made in Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whisky</span> Distilled alcoholic beverage

Whisky or whiskey is a type of liquor made from fermented grain mash. Various grains are used for different varieties, including barley, corn, rye, and wheat. Whisky is typically aged in wooden casks, which are typically made of charred white oak. Uncharred white oak casks previously used for the aging of port, rum or sherry are also sometimes used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Brackla distillery</span>

Royal Brackla distillery is a Highland Scotch whisky distillery on the Cawdor Estate, near Nairn in Scotland. The distillery is operated by John Dewar & Sons, Ltd.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Glenlivet distillery</span> Distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland that produces single malt Scotch whisky

The Glenlivet distillery is a distillery near Ballindalloch in Moray, Scotland, that produces single malt Scotch whisky. It is the oldest legal distillery in the Highlands of Scotland. It was founded in 1824 and has operated almost continuously since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Talisker distillery</span> Island Single Malt Scotch whisky

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lagavulin distillery</span> Scotch whisky distillery on Islay, Scotland

Lagavulin distillery is a malt whisky distillery in the village of Lagavulin on the south of the island of Islay, Scotland. It distills spirit that will become Islay single malt Scotch whisky.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenmorangie distillery</span> Whisky distillery in Tain, Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grant's</span> Scotch whisky

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chivas Regal</span> Blended Scotch Whisky

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welsh whisky</span> Whisky distilled in Wales

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indian whisky</span> Type of distilled liquor produced in India

As of 2006 most distilled spirits labelled as "whisky" in India were a form of Indian-made foreign liquor, commonly blends based on neutral spirits that are distilled from fermented molasses with only a small portion consisting of traditional malt whisky, usually about 10 to 12 percent. Outside India, such a drink would more likely be labelled a rum. According to the Scotch Whisky Association's 2013 annual report, unlike in the European Union (EU), "there is no compulsory definition of whisky in India, and the Indian voluntary standard does not require whisky to be distilled from cereals or to be matured. Very little Indian 'whisky' qualifies as whisky in the EU owing to the use of molasses or neutral alcohol, limited maturation and the use of flavourings. Such spirits are, of course, considerably cheaper to produce than genuine whisky." Such molasses-based blends made up 90 percent of the spirits consumed as "whisky" in India in 2004, although whisky wholly distilled from malt and other grains, was also manufactured and sold. By 2004 shortages of wheat had been overcome and India was one of the largest producers. Amrut, the first single malt whisky produced in India, was launched in Glasgow, Scotland in 2004. After expanding in Europe it was launched in India in 2010.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cotswolds Distillery</span> British distillery

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">English Whisky Guild</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lakes Distillery</span>

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Footnotes

  1. Hicks & Healey use the alternative spelling whiskey as well as the county name Cornish whisky [6]
  2. A submission has been made to obtain a Geographical Indication for the term “English Whisky” [18]
  3. Benelux is an economic union consisting of Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg