The 11 best English Whisky distilleries
From urban distilleries to Lakes District specials
English whisky is experiencing something of a renaissance, or you might simply call it a resurgence. Either way, distilleries dotted around England are putting the country on the whisky map with awards, destination experiences and more.
Scotland, Ireland, or even Japan might spring to mind first when it comes to whisky, but England is no stranger to making the golden nectar. It had commercial distilleries in the 17th and 18th centuries, but until fairly recently, it had been all but dead for around 100 years.
Fortunately, we get to revel in its revival and it’s clear English distilleries aren’t trying to mimic the big players. We’ve picked our favourite English whisky distilleries, the ones you should be drinking and visiting, along with a selection of expert picks from Billy Abbott from The Whisky Exchange.
Each distillery is accompanied by tasting notes for a recent or core range expression, so you can see which tipple takes your fancy.
Shortlist's picks
The English Distillery, Roudham, Norfolk
Born in 2006, The English Distillery arguably kicked off the revival of English whisky when it became the first registered, operational whisky distillery in the country for over 100 years. Fast forward 20 years and it has won multiple golds at the World Whiskies Awards. It specialises in whisky and offers a wide range of styles, grains, casks and a selection of liqueurs. That headstart means The English has whiskies much older than rivals, including an 11-year-old, a 16-year-old, and an 18-year-old blend.
The taste test: We’re tasting the Gently Smoked Sherry Hogshead (£75) from The English’s small batch series. It’s one of the aforementioned gold medal winners and easily the deepest, richest English whisky we’ve ever tasted. The auburn mahogany colour is spectacular and it offers intertwining flavours of burnt toffee, apple, spice, dried fruits and the smoke is present without overpowering.
White Peak Distillery, Ambergate, Derbyshire
White Peak makes a range of spirits but is best known for its Wire Works whisky. The beautifully meticulous bottles are filled with some enticing and unusual drams, made with different grains and aged in a range of various casks, from bourbon to port to imperial stout. The first release only left the distillery a few years ago in 2022, but it has quickly won both fans and awards alike.
The taste test: One for the beer fans out there, we’re tasting the imperial stout finish (£69), which uses casks which previously held Thornbridge’s Necessary Evil (the distillery also uses the brewery’s spent yeast for all fermentation) and before that began life ageing Wire Works whisky in something of a cask exchange program. If you like chocolate-covered nuts, this is the whisky for you, with strong aromas and flavours of hazelnut and chocolate malt. There are also background notes of light smokiness, too.
The Lakes Distillery, Bassenthwaite, Cumbria
Just a stone’s throw from the Lake District’s only actual lake, the aptly named Lakes Distillery sits in a former dairy farm where the barns boast high enough roofs to fit copper stills. It’s a stunning site powered by a biomass boiler, and there are even some friendly llamas in the neighbouring field. The quatrefoil you see throughout the branding is because it was found 26 times around the farm during renovation - it's a Celtic symbol representing faith, hope, luck and love. Sadly, its bistro and shop are no longer open, but the whisky lives on and the distillery’s slow mash, long fermentation and slow distillation - with a generous amount of sherry casks - result in a smooth, creamy, robust and fruity whisky.
The taste test: It’s perhaps no surprise then that the Signature whisky we’re tasting here (£75) represents those qualities mentioned above. It’s a hugely smooth and sweet whisky, like drinking a boozy Christmas cake. It’s bursting with maple, treacle, dried fruits, marzipan, light spice with a thick body and a long, sweet finish.
Cotswolds Distillery, Stourton, Warwickshire
Almost a decade ago, in 2007, Cotswold Distillery launched the first-ever whisky to be distilled in the Cotswolds. It uses locally grown floor-malted barley and has since launched a sizeable library of whiskies to suit a wide range of tastes. The distillery also makes excellent gin and other spirits such as Summer Cup, an alternative to Pimm’s, and Wild Spritz, an English aperitivo.
The taste test: We’re tasting the Cotswolds’ Signature Single Malt Whisky, which is the flagship expression, made in limited batches. It’s intense and boozy like a Scotch, with plenty of toasty spice to it - partly thanks to the STR (Shaved, Toasted and Re-charred) ex-red wine barriques it’s matured in - but there’s also aromas and flavours of stone fruits and pineapple to balance things out. At £46 RRP but typically found for £35, it’s arguably the best value English whisky out there.
Forest Distillery, Buxton, Derbyshire
Drive from Macclesfield and Buxton and you’ll pass The Cat & Fiddle. It looks like a coaching inn because that’s exactly what it was for over 200 years, but it’s now home to Forest Distillery. It is the UK's highest altitude distillery and although a pub seems a bit small for this purpose, a network of cellars is perfect for aging spirits. At 1,600 feet above sea level, the process is also affected; a lower-than-normal temperature distillation allows for a smoother new make spirit. The final touch is the stunning bespoke handmade porcelain bottles every Forset whisky comes in, which are reusable.
The taste test: Forest’s Blend Number Twenty Six (£59) pours very pale yellow and drinks with a smooth creamy body. It’s one for fans of delicate whisky, but we don’t mean it’s lacking in flavour with lovely notes of oat biscuits, apples, apricots and a hint of lightly dusted doughnut sweetness. As a bonus, we’ve also tried a dram of the distillery’s 5-year-old single malt, which is rich, oaky, nutty and sweet.
Adnams, Southwold, Suffolk
You might know Adnams for its beers like Ghost Ship, but did you know it’s had a distillery since 2010, making it the first brewery in the UK to be legally distilling spirits on the same site. It makes a variety of spirits, but the whisky truly stands out as the best, with a range of single malts, rye, wheat and more.
The taste test: We’re tasting Adnams’ offering for Master of Malt’s new football-inspired range for the World Cup 2026. Playing at striker for England in the 9 shirt is this rye whisky aged for 9-years in French oak wine casks. It’s big, boozy, spicy, rich, sweet, woody and we can confirm it makes a great Rye Old Fashioned. A bargain for a single cask rye of this age at just £39.95.
Expert picks
Retribution Distillery, Frome, Somerset
When it comes to hands-on whisky making, you don’t get much more so than this. Self-described head cleaner Richard Lock started out in his garden shed in Somerset and has since moved to a slightly larger building on a nearby farm. His whisky is still fairly new, but the early releases are already showing that you don’t need a huge distillery to make great spirits.
The taste test: Only the distillery’s third release, PR003 (£77), is limited to 370 bottles from a single cask. It’s made with Marris Otter malt and has been matured in an Oloroso hogshead for three years. While it’s similar to The Lakes Signature, it offers a lighter dram with a fresh grain flavour and more spice and red berry notes.
Filey Bay, North Yorkshire
Filey Bay (aka Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery) is particularly interesting on the UK whisky-making scene thanks to its control of the production process, literally from field to bottle. Growing barley next to the Wold Top brewery, where it not only makes beer but also the wash that goes on to make whisky, distilling by the coast and then maturing nearby means you have a truly local spirit. And having fresh beer casks doesn't hurt when it comes to making tasty special editions either.
The taste test: We’re tasting the Filey Bay Flagship (£59), which pours extremely pale and, as a sipper of a dram, is a great entry point for English whisky. It offers sherbet lemon on the nose with a smooth, light body with flavours of vanilla, fruit and salty sea air.
Circumstance Distillery, Bristol
Bristol’s Circumstance is very much a rule breaker, looking for ways to do things differently since it was founded fairly recently in 2018. The distillery is organic, carbon neutral and pushes the distillation process beyond its peers to create new and interesting flavours. With long fermentations using low-yielding brewing yeasts and interesting grain recipes, Circumstance focuses on flavour, and its whiskies deliver.
The taste test: We’re tasting Circumstance’s first release with an age statement, which is 6 years (£55). It’s fermented with saison beer yeast and aged in Oloroso sherry-conditioned cask. It pours a gorgeous honey colour with a spicy and nutty flavour as well as notes of vanilla fudge and candied orange.
Reader's picks
East London Liquor Company, chosen by Tom from London
London might be best known for gin, but East London Liquor Company has been shaking things up in the capital from its base in Hackney. This particularly applies to the branding with its modern and fun style. You can visit its London Fields-based lab for a guided tasting or even learn how to blend your own whisky, with a 300ml bottle of this unique liquid to take home.
The taste test: We’re tasting the flagship blended whisky from ELLC (£42), which primarily blends the distillery’s London Rye with peated and unpeated single malts (though does contain some Scotch, too) to create something with layers of flavour. There’s plenty of chocolate on the nose and some fruit too and it somehow drinks smoothly but with a nice bite. We get flavours of vanilla, spice, caramelised apple and subtle smoke, followed by a long warming finish.
Fielden, chosen by Ryan from Hertfordshire
You can’t visit the Fielden distillery as there isn’t one. Instead, much like a cuckoo brewery, it distills using the Adnams distillery and only makes rye whisky using heritage grains from regenerative farming projects across England. As a young company, the range is currently small but tasty, aged in a combination of American oak and various wine casks such as Moscatel.
The taste test: We’re tasting the classic Fielden Rye (£49.95), which has a grain-forward flavour. It’s honey and maple sweet start with a nice nutty, warming spice to the finish. It’s versatile, so you can sip it neat or on the rocks or use it in a wide range of cocktails.
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