Why The English Distillery’s Gently Smoked Sherry Hogshead Deserves Your Attention

There is a corner of the whisky world that I have been guilty of overlooking, and I want to put that right. The English Distillery in Norfolk has been producing whisky since 2006, making it the oldest legitimate English distillery in the country.

This small batch release, the Gently Smoked Sherry Hogshead, recently took home the World’s Best Small Batch Single Malt award at the 2026 World Whiskies Awards. After spending time with a sample, I can tell you the judges got this one absolutely right. This is a 9 out of 10 whisky, and I want to explain why.

Let me set the scene for what we are dealing with. This is a nearly 12-year-old single malt, bottled at 46%, fully matured in Oloroso hogsheads, with a peat level of 44.6 ppm. That is slightly lower than the distillery’s usual peated output, which tends to run between 50 and 53 ppm. The combination of heavy sherry influence and substantial peat is a style that, surprisingly, divides opinion among even the most respected whisky commentators. Personally, I love it, and this bottle is a masterclass in how to do it well.

The nose on this whisky is wondrous. It is like standing in three places at once: a sweet shop full of strawberry laces and watermelon sweets, a crackling bonfire where the smoke smells thick and enveloping without ever turning medicinal, and a sweltering Sunday kitchen where someone is baking a fresh treacle tart with buttery pastry caramelising at the edges.

On the palate, the whisky opens with a savoury, smoky punch. There is a delicate cured ham quality, a saltiness that gives way to flecks of honeycomb, toffee, and brown butter sweetness. Then it circles back through burnt herbs, sage, and a meaty richness before the finish settles into something deeply Lagavulin-like: the dying embers of a beach bonfire, sea breeze, and chewy, oily sherry. It is dirty, raw, and yet somehow elegant all at once.

At roughly £75, this sits in the same territory as a bottle of Lagavulin 16. But despite being a younger whisky, it is significantly more interesting, more layered, and frankly better value. I would even pick it over an Ardbeg Uigeadail at a higher price point. The English Distillery produces an impressive range, from unpeated to triple-distilled expressions, and this small batch release is a brilliant showcase of what they are capable of. It is the kind of bottle that deserves far more attention than it currently receives.

A solid 9 out of 10 from me. If you have tried anything from the English Distillery, I would love to hear your thoughts. And if you have not, what is holding you back?

To see my full tasting of this peated English whisky, check out my YouTube video.