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Award Winning English Whisky Embraces Apple Brandy Casks

Cotswold Distillery has launched the sixth instalment of its Hearts and Crafts series: with a Calvados Single Malt Whisky
  • Hannah Thompson is a specialist whiskey educator and writer, passionate about bringing stories and understanding to more people.
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Each release in Cotswold Distillery’s Hearts and Crafts series celebrates the artwork and ethos of the Arts and Craft movement. Photo: Cotswold Distillery
The Cotswolds Distillery has announced the sixth expression in its popular Hearts and Crafts series. The limited edition English single malt whisky has been matured in hand-selected Calvados casks—which is a type of apple brandy. The new release from the award winning distillery features striking design by renowned Arts and Crafts artist William Morris alongside an innovative use of more unusual casks. The combination showcases its continued commitment to both tradition and innovation within the English whisky industry.

A Celebration of Craftsmanship and Heritage

The Hearts and Crafts series pays homage to the Arts and Crafts movement that flourished in the Cotswolds during the late 19th century. This movement championed traditional craftsmanship and skilled artisanship—values that form the foundation of the Cotswolds Distillery’s approach to whisky making.

There are just 1,500 bottles in this edition and each bottle is presented in a striking green floral-designed tube inspired by William Morris, one of the leaders of the Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris spent summers at his Cotswolds home, Kelmscott Manor and his designs are both classic and timeless.

“The Arts & Crafts movement flourished in the Cotswolds in the late 19th century and stood for the importance of traditional craftsmanship – the same values upon which the rural distillery was built,” explains the official press release.

Calvados X Single Malt Whisky

Calvados may not be the first cask type that springs to mind when you think about single malt whisky. In fact casks used to mature the classic apple brandy have only recently been allowed for maturing scotch by the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA), luckily for the Cotswold Distillery as an English single malt producer they aren’t bound by the SWA’s rules. This allows them full freedom to explore different processes within, and around, the traditional methods of maturing scotch. The Calvados casks offer a fragrant bouquet of fresh orchard apples and caramelized brown sugar that really works.

The Cotswolds Distillery has become the largest producer of English whisky since its founding in 2014 by Daniel Szor. Located in Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour, it has also become a premier tourist attraction in the Cotswolds, welcoming over 100,000 visitors annually across its three locations.

The distillery’s commitment to quality has earned it numerous awards. It was named the most popular whisky distillery in the UK and Ireland for the second consecutive year in The Cask Connoisseur 2024 Whisky Index. Its expressions have garnered international recognition, including a recent Gold award for their Sherry Cask expression at the World Whiskies Awards 2025.

The Hearts and Crafts Calvados Single Malt Whisky adds a fruit-forward, elegant option to the award-winning portfolio of this leading English whisky producer. It is limited to just 1,500 bottles worldwide for $125 (£100) each, and whisky fans will need to buy the bottle directly from the distillery’s website or UK based premises—although if you aren’t in the UK and don’t fancy the trip the website does say to email about overseas delivery.

Hannah Thompson

Hannah Thompson is a whiskey educator who helps consumers understand everything they need to know to make an informed decision about whiskey investment. She has been working in the secondary whiskey market since 2019 and joined The Whiskey Wash team when Mark Littler took over as Editor in Chief. Working with Mark Littler Hannah has amassed a broad range of whiskey knowledge and specializes in helping consumers make education driven cask investments. Hannah has authored two published works of fiction and her background in research and creative writing lets her create interesting and informative articles to give people a solid understanding of the world of whiskey.

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