The rapid growth in the number of English distillers comes at a perfect time in the development of whisky making. The best indication of the quality of a whisky used to be its age, but that’s no longer true. New craft distillers have shown that young whisky can be a very high-quality drink, and full of exciting new flavors, whilst being more sustainably made than ever. English whisky, which is growing in both popularity and number, has demonstrated this, producing some fantastic no-age-statement (but young) spirit.
So, with that in mind, what have English whisky producers done differently? And what can we expect from this burgeoning category in the future?
Joining A Worldwide Craft Distilling Movement
The world of craft whisky is only around ten years old. It emerged as laws governing the minimum size of pot stills were removed, allowing small distillers to work legally. Very quickly a new wave of producers emerged around the world, from the United States to Tasmania. Many of these locations had no culture of whisky making and few rules constraining it, so distillers in new territories were free to innovate, unburdened by local traditions or expectations.
Established distillers can rely on old stock, but new distillers need to get to the market quickly, so they have created whiskies that mature quickly and well. Even the youngest whisky takes years to get to the consumer, and making spirit and laying it down to mature is an expensive business.
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This is where the new craft makers can take advantage of their size. A small distiller doesn’t need to follow large-scale producers, maintaining a certain character, filling generic barrels full of spirit, made the way it has always been made. These nimble and imaginative companies are experimenting with long fermentation times to create more flavor, then distilling spirit to take on cask characteristics in years rather than decades.
Small distillers are also pioneering new ways to distill using new sustainable energy, taking risks that established producers have avoided.
All of the above is very much true in the case of English whisky. Although there is a certain sense of tradition handed down from the Scots, technically speaking, English whisky has freedom that scotch does not.
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As stated on the Cotswolds Distillery website: “Whilst the ingredients and equipment we use are traditional, we are very open to experimentation. We have always taken an innovative approach when crafting our spirits by using a modern scientific understanding of the gin and whisky making process and fine tuning it along the way. We are unbound by tradition and are therefore passionate pioneers.”
Craft Disruptors In The Homes Of Whisky
Innovation is not just happening in places that are new to whisky production. It is happening right in the heartlands of traditional whisky making, where highly experienced master distillers have lent their expertise to help craft companies develop these new styles of spirit
In Scotland, the home of historic and legendary distilleries, there is a vibrant craft movement of new distillers creating highly regarded spirits in eco-friendly ways. At Ardnamurchan Distillery, which has just celebrated its tenth birthday, local wood is used to fire the boiler. This year it was named Global Sustainable Distillery of the Year, beating much more established distilleries to the accolade. The whisky is award-winning too.
In Ireland, where the majority of distilleries are less than ten years old, a huge variety of whiskies and cask finishes is already on the market, pushing the boundaries of this formerly staid industry. Ahascragh Distillery in County Galway is the first eco distillery in Ireland, using brand new technology to create a zero emissions spirit.
Teelings in Dublin make a Cabernet finish grain whisky which tastes sweet, reminiscent of candy floss! These are not whiskies that your grandfather would recognize.
English Whisky Rules Are Unwritten
Unlike in Scotland and Ireland, there are not yet any rules governing English whisky making, production is only constrained by the European definition. Until those rules are written, whisky makers in England have the freedom to pick and choose even the most fundamental production methods. They can follow the majority of scotch distillers and distill twice, using malted barley in medium-sized stills, or they can triple distill in large pot stills like Irish distillers and use a variety of malted and unmalted grains. Each of these traditions only grew up as a response to the historic rules of the local excise man in any case.
Sustainability In English Whisky
New distilleries can plan their new equipment to be as low-energy as possible, immediately giving them a sustainability and production advantage against their older competitors. Sustainability includes a responsibility to the area around us. Smaller producers, who are often rural, can support their local communities by using local grain, perhaps farmed organically, then give the spent grains back to those farmers as cattle feed, creating a virtuous local circle.
A Choice of Cask Types
The choice of cask undoubtedly has the most influence on the flavor of the finished whisky. All sorts of casks are now being used to finish whisky in a wide variety of ways. Wine casks, port, and even marsala have been used to lend their summer fruit characteristics in a way that was very rare until recently.
Look at the box containing a bottle of the recently established Raasay distillery and you won’t see the age of the whisky, but you will see the cask recipe, which will show the six different casks it has been matured in. This level of stewardship has created a rich young whisky to equal the quality of much more mature whisky from larger producers.
England is not constrained by the same rules as Scotland and Ireland which are framed to protect the existing reputation of the category. Innovation is allowed there, to a point. One example of a legal constraint is a restriction on the use of cask types: scotch must be matured in oak barrels. England has no such rule, allowing more experimentation south of the border. Perhaps we can look forward to English whisky finished in chestnut or cherry casks? It’s worth a try, and who knows, it might just be delicious.
So What Might English Whisky Become?
Freed from the traditions of its neighbors, English whisky can develop its own character as it grows in confidence. It can be sustainable from the start, taking on ambitious targets like the Irish Whisky Association’s Sustainability Roadmap. It can take inspiration from the best craft whisky makers anywhere in the world, and develop a product that stands apart from other regions in flavor, finish, and style.
It is inevitable that English whisky will become a different product to the traditional scotch and Irish whiskies. This will not be a whisky of glens and lochs, this spirit is being laid down beside hills and dales, chalk streams, and pretty villages. Whisky is a product of the place, the terroir cannot help to tell a local story.
What might be a quintessentially English character? Sustainably produced spirit going into casks seasoned with cider or apple brandy, or barrels from the new English wine industry? What an exciting future lies ahead.
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