How English - and Yorkshire - whisky can rival Scottish offerings: Andy Braithwaite

Not only that, but from 2019 to the end of this year, the volume of whisky produced by English distilleries is predicted to grow by 189 per cent come the end of the year. The English whisky scene has never been so bold.

English whisky production had a brief stint in the early 1800s, before trailing off. It slowly started to pick up again with a few smaller distilleries in the early 2000s, before starting to come back into its own more recently.

The English whisky boom is one that has derived from smaller distilleries which opened to first capitalise on the craft beer trend, and then later the craft spirits and the gin trend. Those same craft distilleries are now turning to single malt whisky.

Whisky is an attractive offering to distilleries because there are less rules and regulations in English whisky. This means more experimentation and flavour research can be undertaken, leading to a variety in methods and processes when it comes to distilling, but still resulting in the same quality.

Now, newly launched trade association, English Whisky Guild, which has 23 members and 45 active distilleries, aims to rival the Scottish Whisky Association. It is preparing to ask the UK Government for a “Geographical Indication” for English whisky – a move which would grant drams special status confirming authenticity, production standards and origin, similar to Scotch whisky.

At Ellers Farm, we recently partnered with globally renowned Yorkshire-based brewer T&R Theakston, combining our knowledge and experience to launch a truly unique whisky offering.

Not only did we launch our Founders Cask Investment Programme with 38 limited edition casks, but we’re also set to launch The Bairn Series as New Make and a subsequent release every six months in limited runs of 500 bottles, throughout its aging process.

To create the whisky, we used an elegant Porter style beer that has been specifically developed through the collaboration of Theakston’s Master Brewer Mark Slater, and our very own Ellers Farm’s Master Distiller, Jamie Baggott.

Taking the finest ingredients possible, Theakstons brew these into a high-quality beer overseen by one of the best brewers in the world. We then take that beer and distil it under the supervision of one of the most awarded distillers in the world at our farm, to create a delectable Yorkshire whisky.

The Scotch whisky industry is an industry that’s built on history and heritage and conjures pictures of the Scottish Highlands and lochs - but Yorkshire has its own story to tell.

We have our own heritage, like many other Yorkshire, and English, distillers. By collaborating with Theakstons, we’re bringing together two family owned Yorkshire businesses, one with almost 200 years of history and ours, just beginning its journey, to create a new Yorkshire whisky to introduce to the world, unlike anything else in the market. It perfectly unites heritage with innovation and that’s hugely exciting.

We hope together, our casks will evolve into some of the world’s finest exclusive whisky releases in years to come, helping build the trust and reassurance of Yorkshire distilleries.

Andy Braithwaite is managing director of Ellers Farm Distillery