English whisky has grown to become one of the most vibrant and innovative whisky scenes in the world. It is a hotbed of craft and artisan whisky distilling. Much of this growth has happened in the last decade and is still on the rise.
For context, when we started Whisky For Everyone in early-2008, there was just one distillery. This was St. George’s, now known as The English Distillery, in Norfolk. At that point, they were still yet to release their inaugural whisky. If we had said at that time that there would be 50+ active distilleries and counting in 2025, then people would have thought us mad, naïve or both.
Now distilleries exist across England, from Ad Gefrin close to the Scottish border in Wooler, Northumberland to Pocketful of Stones in Penzance, Cornwall. Most major towns and cities now boast an urban distillery or two, while others benefit from rural or scenic locations.
Many are simply not following the Scottish or Irish model in their whisky making but pushing boundaries. This includes experimentation with different cereals and yeast strains, use of unorthodox cask types for maturation, redefining what whisky can be and the production of diverse spirit styles. The diversity is leading to a concentration on flavour profile and how to achieve it, rather than age statements.
Before moving on, we should talk about scale. Most English whisky distilleries are small, even tiny in many cases, and independently owned. Just a handful are owned by a big drinks company. Despite there being over 50 active distilleries, the entire English output is equivalent to one average Scottish single malt distillery. Figures from last year show 2.1 million litres being produced nationally. A mere drop in the ocean by comparison.
So, how did we get to the current situation? Let us share the story.
The Pioneers
Established in 2006, the St. George’s distillery near Thetford in Norfolk was the first English malt whisky distillery to be built for over a century. It was founded by father and son pair, James and Andrew Nelstrop. Their first single malt was released in 2009, and a series of Chapter bottlings followed. These helped to establish the brand and a loyal following of whisky fans.
However, technically the first English whisky was made by Hicks & Healey in Cornwall several years earlier. This was a collaboration between Healey’s Cider farm and St. Austell Brewery, although the spirit was released after St. George’s inaugural release.
The Nelstrop family remain in charge at St. George’s today and will celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2026. The name has changed to The English Distillery and a core range introduced. But they remain pioneers and innovators with several other small batch whiskies and projects on the market. Little did they know that their vision would create such a vibrant English whisky scene in the future.
The Next Wave
It did not take long for others to sit up and take note of The English Distillery’s early vibe and success. The Adnam’s brewery in the neighbouring county of Suffolk built their Copper House distillery and began production of spirits, including whisky, in 2010. The Lakes followed shortly after in 2011 in the picturesque Lake District National Park, although production did not start until 2014. The Lakes Distillery’s uses a technique of élevage – traditionally associated with fine wines and Cognacs. This involves making intentional changes throughout the spirit’s maturation to generate desired characteristics.
The year 2014 plays a key role and saw several further distilleries commence production. The East London Liquor Company in east London immediately started experimenting with different distillates and cask types, including unusual woods such as cherry and chestnut.
The Cotswolds, arguably the most successful English whisky brand of all (they remain the only one listed with a major UK supermarket), started production then too, and still use only locally grown barley. They have since built a larger distillery next to the original to deal with increased demand.
More New Faces
As numbers grew, others saw the potential of what was achievable and began distilling whisky too. Bimber in west London, Ludlow distillery in Shropshire and Isle of Wight distillery all commenced production in 2015. The latter distilled fermented wash from a local brewery to make their spirit – a trend that several have since repeated.
One place took this principle a step further – Spirit of Yorkshire – who were the first ever whisky distillery in Yorkshire. All barley is grown on co-founder Tom Mellor’s farm near Hunmanby in Yorkshire. Everything up to the fermentation stage then takes place at the Wold Top brewery on the farm, with distillation taking place 2.5 miles away at the distillery. Their single malt releases are named Filey Bay after a local beauty spot.
Other notable distilleries from this time include the Bankhall brand who started off by making bourbon-style and rye whiskies in Blackpool in 2019, Cooper King (Yorkshire – 2018), Copper Rivet (Kent – 2016), Dartmoor Whisky Distillery (Devon – 2016), and the multi-award-winning White Peak (one of our personal favourites from Derbyshire – 2017). White Peak is highly innovative with experimentation of differing cut points on the still, long fermentation times, and like many others unorthodox cask types for maturation
The English Whisky Guild
One issue the English whisky industry faces is that it remains largely unregulated. Other established whisky making countries, such as Scotland, America, Ireland and Japan, have strict laws that govern what producers can and cannot do for production, maturation, branding and advertising.
The English Whisky Guild was formed in 2022 with this in mind. Current membership is 26 distilleries, so roughly half of those in production. The aim is to promote diversity in the category, show best practice and raise awareness of English whisky. But the members, which include all the early distilleries, are pushing for more. This includes defined regulation and geographical identification.
This has moved a step closer with a defined set of objectives submitted to DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs) in the UK Government. The hope is to establish a country-specific whisky standard to ensure authenticity, market differentiation, product quality and common standards for distilleries.
In Progress
The post-Covid era has seen a further explosion of new project and distilleries. There have been over 30 new whisky distilleries starting production in the last three years alone. Very few have liquid old enough to release yet, but the time is coming. Soon the market will be awash with even more new brands launching their inaugural bottlings.
There are now more products than ever for consumers to buy, taste and enjoy. There is also the English Whisky Festival by Exploring English Whisky, which will celebrate its 4th edition in 2025. The concept of this festival, the popularity of English whisky and the flavour driven liquids it is producing is something that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Long may it continue.
We would like to thank Richard Foster of Exploring English Whisky for his insight and help with this article. Please check out his website for further information – click here.
