Ellers Farm: Ricky Gervais co-owned distillery launches Yorkshire single malt whisky
A DISTILLERY which is co-owned by the comedian and actor Ricky Gervais has launched a new Yorkshire single malt whisky.
The new product – Three Ridings – brings together the expertise of three Yorkshire businesses; a maltster, a brewer and a distiller in the form of Ellers Farm Distillery, Theakston of Masham and Fawcett & Sons of Castleford.
Mr Gervais, the co-owner of Ellers Farm Distillery, in Stamford Bridge, North Yorkshire, said he loved “working with people who care more about doing something properly than doing it quickly”.
He added: “Three Ridings is the result of the pursuit of excellence, and I am very proud of what we have created.”
The launch of Three Ridings has been accompanied by a documentary series that traces the whisky’s creation.
Chris Fraser, Founder of Ellers Farm Distillery said: “Our whisky journey began over three years ago but uniquely draws on over 200 years of experience in growing, malting and brewing Yorkshire grown barley.
"Three Ridings didn’t start with a marketing brief. It started with the question – how do we make the best possible single malt in Yorkshire that can stand alongside the very best in the world?”
Simon Theakston, Chairman of T&R Theakston Ltd. said: “The development of Three Ridings Single Malt whisky has been a wonderful adventure, shared with our partners, Ellers Farm Distillery and Thomas Fawcett & Sons, building on our near 200 years of brewing the finest Yorkshire beer here in Masham.
He added: “Developing the ‘wash’ for a new malt whisky is a natural extension of what we do every day and will enable us to extend our reach into this new and exciting market.”
The launch documentary series is available from today across Three Ridings’ digital channels.
"The four-part documentary series follows the collaboration between three Yorkshire makers. Each episode explores a different chapter in the whisky’s creation, from barley and fermentation to distillation, maturation and the shared belief that flavour should always come before efficiency.
“Produced in Yorkshire and filmed across Castleford, Masham and Ellers Farm in Stamford Bridge, the series reveals a process rarely seen in modern whisky-making: open collaboration across disciplines that usually operate in isolation.”
The spokesman added: “Three Ridings First Release will be released for sale later this year, but people can secure one of the 1,000 individually numbered First Release bottles through the purchase of the Evolution Collection on the Three Ridings website.”
For more information visit: www.threeridingswhisky.com