England’s Copper Rivet Distillery Offering Up Single Estate, Farm To Glass Whiskies

Young Copper Rivet Distillery out of England recently released a single-estate, farm to glass whisky: Masthouse Single Malt Whisky. This is the first limited expression out of the distillery, based in Chatham, Kent. It’s a part of their new core Masthouse whisky range, with column malt and grain whiskies to be released over the next 12 to 24 months.

Masthouse Whisky is a natural, unfiltered whisky, pot-distilled and matured in ex-bourbon and virgin American white oak barrels. It’s crafted by head distiller Abhi Banik from specially grown Kentish malted barley, and made in accordance with the distillery’s “INVICTA Whisky Charter” that explains how all Copper Rivet whiskies are made. Each bottle comes with a copy of this charter.

“We’re obsessive about creating beautiful, accessible spirits for people’s enjoyment and the way we’ve built our whisky distillery reflects that,” said Copper Rivet Distillery’s co-founder Stephen Russell, in a prepared statement. “We’re not in Scotland, so we have some flexibility in the process. Among the most significant differences between Scotch and English whisky is that England’s whisky distillers are not bound to using only certain types of casks and stills. So we have a big opportunity to be creative and innovative in the way we bring flavour through. Also, let’s not forget that the weather conditions in Kent and Scotland differ significantly – for example, Kent’s climate is much warmer and drier.

“Nonetheless, we wanted to give consumers a clear idea of what to expect from Masthouse Whisky, so we created the INVICTA Whisky Charter. This is our declaration of the high standards we apply to making whisky so that our customers can trust and appreciate the spirit. Every bottle clearly details the grain variety we use, the name of the field in which the grain was grown and the barrel numbers from which the spirit was taken.

“With Masthouse Whisky we aim to go over the top in our quest to produce a fascinating and elegant whisky which competes with the best from around the world on flavour and quality.”

The bottle is 45% alcohol by volume and has a recommended retail price of £45, or around $60 USD. Official tasting notes indicate “green apple and ginger biscuit, tropical fruits and floral mid-notes, chocolate orange on the palate finished with malt and white pepper.”