Why English whisky is causing a stir

When we think of key whisky countries, Scotland, Ireland, Japan and America come to mind.

So it may come as a surprise, but England’s putting its stamp on the whisky scene. So much so, there are now more than 60 distilleries, with 26 members of the English Whisky Guild.

Historically, English whisky dates back to the 1800s; gradually the trade died out, with the last distillery closing its doors in the early 1900s.

Fast forward to the current wave, and it’s seen significant growth over the past 10 years. According to the English Whisky Guild, there are 50,000 maturing casks, with a value estimated to be worth £1 billion – marking a new era for whisky drinkers…

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From Northumberland to Manchester, the Cotswolds to Cornwall, whisky casks are maturing in dedicated warehouses – similar to other world whiskies, it must be aged in wooden casks for a minimum of three years.

Moreover, a number of established companies such as The Lakes, Cotswolds Distillery and English Whisky Company have scooped Gold medals for their single malt at the World Whiskies Awards.

“We’re making excellent quality out of English whisky,” underlines Sarah Burgess, whiskymaker at The Lakes Distillery in Cumbria, which started production in 2014.

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As she points out, a substantial amount of English distilleries are laying down their stocks, and not all have whisky available for sale yet. “So it’s very much the beginning for English whisky,” highlights Burgess, who grew up in Speyside.

Billy Abbott, ambassador for The Whisky Exchange, says: English whisky is at a very exciting point in its development… we’re starting to see styles emerge as it moves from being very experimental, into being a new and more consistent category.

“Fortunately, we’re also still seeing lots of experimentation, and the future looks to be full of lots of tasty and interesting whiskies to come.”

Indeed, what’s stirring interest is the depth and diversity when you explore the English whisky map. Innovation is key, and south of the Scottish border, distilleries can use any type of wooden cask.

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Unlike Scotland where by law, you can only mature whisky in oak casks, in England whiskymakers have free rein to experiment with wood.

“So that gives us a much wider range of flavour options and profiles going forward,” explains Burgess. “So you could use chestnut, mulberry, acacia… the list is endless.

“There are obviously tried and tested methods across not only Scotland, but the rest of the world, with producers utilising oak as the main wood strain.”

She continues: “But we’re in our infancy and trialling out lots of different wood types… so let’s see what comes in the future.”

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Indeed, England has much more opportunity for exploration: “Considering  70% to 80% of your overall flavour comes from the cask and ageing process,” explains Burgess, who worked at Diageo for more than 20 years managing the Oban, Glenkinchie and Clynelish distilleries, before becoming lead whiskymaker at The Macallan.

“We can utilise different wood styles, and have the potential for greater flavour profile and range,” she suggests. Presently, their stock’s predominantly sherry seasoned oak; however, the whiskymaker says she’s been ‘cask shopping,’ and bought a number of different wood varieties from suppliers in America, Spain and Scotland.

“We’re running a series of tests to see what happens… What do we like? What’s the flavour profile? So, yeah, it’s very interesting times,” says Burgess.

“And hopefully these products will make it for sale at some point in the future… right now, it’s almost for our own enjoyment at The Lakes.”

Three excellent English whiskies to toast World Whisky Day…

1. Cotswolds Signature Single Malt, £36 (from £46), 70cl, Cotswolds Distillery

Aged in ex-bourbon and reconditioned red wine casks, this single malt exudes honey and butterscotch aromas; with dark sugar, spice and hints of orange marmalade, giving way to dark red fruits and touch of treacle.

2. Filey Bay IPA Cask Finish, Batch 2, English Single Malt, £65.75, 70cl, The Whisky Exchange

A Gold medal winner at the Global World Whisky Masters, it’s aged in ex-IPA casks and you can expect a light, fruity profile with biscuity notes; with hints of green apple, pear drops, lemon sponge cake and hints of hops on the finish.

3. The Lakes Signature Single Malt, £85, 70cl, The Lakes Distillery

Matured in sherry-seasoned oak casks, fragrant spicy dried fruits and hints of dark chocolate lead to spice-edged flavours of sultanas, raisins and treacle; against a background of dried fruits which linger on the palate, rounded off by a warming finish.