Wylye Distillery in Wiltshire, England, has announced that it is ready to welcome trade, media and private guests to its Windmill Farm site in Wylye Valley. The move comes as founder and distiller Sam Barber marks the third birthday of his first bourbon barrels, laid down in July 2023.
Barber has been quietly producing single malt at the distillery, which is set within four repurposed farm buildings surrounded by rolling hills in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. He owns and runs the operation single-handedly. The warehouse now holds well over one thousand casks.
Barber’s stated aim is “to create a single malt distillery in the Wylye Valley which becomes a home for whisky drinkers around the world.”
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The Wylye Valley’s fertile soil allows Barber to source barley from a local grower and use a nearby traditional floor maltings. The farm also has its own water source, where all of Wylye’s spirit is mashed, distilled and matured. The distillery uses a half-tonne brewhouse with five temperature-controlled washbacks. A balanced double distillation runs on two traditional Forsyths copper pot stills.
Casks mature in an old tin-roof pole barn, which embraces the valley’s seasonal swings. Barber sources wood from three cooperages.
Rather than finishing, all of Wylye’s distillate is filled into casks for full-term maturation. This gives various options for vatting in the future. Ex-bourbon barrels form the bedrock of the warehouse. Barber also uses ex-solera butts and runs a seasoning program with wineries in Montilla-Moriles and Jerez-Xérès-Sherry.
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The visitor facilities sit in a restored dairy. It features a bespoke bar, log burner, cosy interiors and a growing library of books on spirits, beer and wine, alongside a vatting lab and drinks terrace.
“The first bourbon barrels I laid down in July 2023 have now turned three,” Barber said. “Having spent more time with these vessels than my family – often to the latter’s relief – I’ve become quite attached and it won’t be easy letting them go.” He added: “I also want to give my whisky a chance to evolve and reach its full potential, so I won’t be bottling just yet.” Barber said it was time “to start letting drinkers know what I’ve been up to.”
