English whisky
English whisky '' is a liquor produced in England from malt, grains and water. It includes malt and grain whisky and is divided into single or blended.
English whisky, part of new world whisky category is represented by a trade body called the English Whisky Guild.
As of 2025 there are 24 English whisky brands including Ad Gerfrin, Adnams, Cotswolds, Lakes, Oxford Rye, Sacred Spirits and English Whisky Co. The oldest released bottle of English whisky is The English Founders Private Cellar 16 Years Old Port Cask.
History
In 1636 the Worshipful Company of Distillers was granted a charter to produce spirits, including whisky.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. 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.
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 — produced both grain and malt whisky.
- Bank Hall Distillery, Liverpool — produced grain and malt whisky.
- Bristol Distillery, Bristol — 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 — produced grain whisky.
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.
In 2016 the first edition of the English whisky map was released by Cooper King Distillery to provide information about the English whisky distilleries.
In February 2022 16 distilleries collectively submitted an English whisky GI to protect English whisky.
In May 2022 the English whisky Guild was established to protect and promote English whisky.
As of 2025 the English whisky GI is in the final stages with only minor changes necessary for completion. There have also been 7 editions of the English map with the latest release in December 2025.
Definition
A process is under way to create a statutory definition for English whisky, with one notable area requiring that grains and water to be locally sourced which is unique to English whisky within the British Isles.Currently, English whisky producers adhere to EU Regulation 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.
English whisky also follows the guidelines of the British Standards Institute.
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.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.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. To be defined as English whisky a whisky must be:
- 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.
Production and release
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.Sourcing
Nearly all English whisky distilleries source their barley from local farms and their malt from malt houses in England with some distilleries occasionally sourcing malt from Scotland. This flexibility in sourcing is reflected in the proposed English whisky Geographical indication which requires all cereal grain to be sourced from the United Kingdom rather than restricted to England.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.Bottling
English whisky is bottled by 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.Distribution
English whisky is distributed by a variety of different distributors including Sip and Savour, BBC Spirits, Mangrove Monarq Group, Illva Saronno and ImpEx Beverages.| Distributor | Date | Distillery | Area | Cite |
| Sip and Savour | October 20, 2020 | Oxford Artisan Distillery | United Kingdom | |
| BBC Spirits | March 1, 2021 | Gullivers | Europe | |
| Mangrove | March 18, 2021 | English Whisky Co | United Kingdom | |
| Mangrove | November 1, 2022 | East London Liquor Company | United Kingdom | |
| Monarq Group | May 15, 2023 | Lakes distillery | Caribbean, Latin America and the US | |
| Illva Saronno | December 11, 2023 | Cotswolds distillery | United Kingdom and Benelux | |
| ImpEx Beverages | April 6, 2022 | Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery | US |
Attributes
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.Colour
English whisky has a variety of different colours ranging from caramel to yellow.Distilleries
Distilleries
There are 61 distilleries in England as of 2024, 26 of these distilleries are part of the English Whisky Guild. The oldest, St George's Distillery has brewed whisky for almost 20 years. The Cotswolds distillery is the largest producer of whisky in England.Regions
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.South East
The South East of England has a total of 13 distilleries including: Abingdon Distillery, Harley House Distillery, Wood Brothers Distillery, The Oxford Spirit Distillery, Brightwell Bottle Distillery, Isle of Wight Distillery, Copper Rivet Distillers, Anno Distillers, Maidstone Distillery, Pleasant Land Distillery, Hawkridge Distillers, Aedda's Farm Distillery and Canterbury Brewers & Distillers.South West
The South East of England has a total of 15 distilleries including: Ten Hides Distillery, Wylye Distillery, Retribution Distilling Co., Witchmark Distillery, Dartmoor Whisky Distillery, Princetown Distillery, Trevethan Distillery, Penrock Distillery, Colwith Distillery, Rosemullion Distillery, Pocketful of Stones, Scilly Isles Distillery, Healeys Distillery, Wrecking Coast Distillery, Circumstance Distillery.
London
London has a total of 6 distilleries including: Old Bakery Distillery, Maison Miles, East London Liquor Company, Bimber Distillery, Doghouse Distillery, The London Distilling Company.
East of England
The East of England has a total of 3 distilleries including: Fen Spirits, The English Distillery, Adnams Copper House Distillery.
West Midlands
The West Midlands has a total of 6 distilleries including: Cotswolds Distillery, Spirit of Birmingham Distillery, West Midlands Distillery, Ludlow Distillery, Henstone Distillery, Mercia Whisky.
East Midlands
The East Midlands has a total of 2 distilleries including: White Peak Distillery, Wharf Distillery.
North West
The North West has a total of 8 distilleries including: Weetwood Distillery, Forest Distillery, Spirit of Manchester Distillery, Forgan Distillery, Pendle Witch Distillery, Lancaster Spirits Company, Grasmere Distillery, The Lakes Distillery.
Yorkshire and The Humber
Yorkshire and Humber has a total of 7 distilleries including: Yorkshire Dales Distillery, Whittaker's Distillery, Cooper King Distillery, Ellers Farm Distillery, Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, Yorkshire Distilling Co., Elsham Wold Distillery.
North East
The North East has a total of 2 distilleries including: Ad Gefrin Distillery, Yarm Distillery.