Witchmark Distillery has reached a significant production milestone, filling its 1,000th cask of English single malt whisky at its Fonthill Estate home in England. The distillery, co-founded by Alistair Munro and Jon Carson, has been filling casks for 18 months and plans to debut its first whisky in late 2027.
Eddie Large, co-founder and production director, framed the achievement in human terms rather than numerical ones.
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"Reaching our 1,000th cask is a huge milestone, but for me it’s not really about the cask itself, it’s about the people who have made it happen," Large said.
"We’ve built a young, diverse and talented team with members hailing from all around the world, from India to Poland, England to New Zealand, each bringing their own passion and expertise to the distillery floor to produce quality English whisky," he added.
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The concept for Witchmark was formed in 2020, when Munro and Carson turned a shared passion for whisky into a business plan to create one of England’s finest single malts. Large noted that the milestone represents years of effort stretching back well before distillation began.
"We’ve been filling casks for the past 18 months, but the journey really started back in 2020 when we first set out to create an English whisky," he said. "So, this moment represents years of work, planning and belief, and we’re only just getting started."
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READ THE STORYBy the time Witchmark launches its first whisky, the distillery expects to have close to 4,000 casks maturing in its warehouse. Its wood program includes Tawny Port, Madeira, rum and Islay casks among others, with a focus on building complexity and depth over time.
The distillery operates from a Grade II listed 17th-century barn on the Fonthill Estate. Its walls still bear the ancient witch marks that inspired the distillery’s name. Witchmark produces whisky using barley grown on the estate, with water naturally filtered through limestone from a chalk aquifer near the still house.
Early tastings from ex-bourbon casks at just over 10 months of maturation are showing promise. Official notes from the brand describe a medium-bodied spirit with a sweet, malty character, fruity notes with fresh apple, a creamy rounded texture and a dry, lightly oaky finish.
Sustainability is central to the operation. Witchmark achieved B Corp certification with a score of 124.4, described as the highest of any distillery in England. The distillery’s practices include regenerative farming, eco-fuel powered stills, 100% recycled glass bottles and circular waste management. English whisky as a category continues to attract investment, and Witchmark’s ambitious scaling plans position it among the sector’s most notable emerging producers.
