Coming of age: the rise of English whisky

Once seen as a novelty, whisky made south of the border is finally getting the recognition it deserves thanks to a growing band of dedicated distillers

- TESSA WAUGH

EIGHTEEN years ago, Andrew Nelstrop and his father James had a novel idea for diversification on their 1,100-acre arable farm in Norfolk. They decided to make whisky specifically the finest single malt - and as far as they were concerned this was completely doable. They grew excellent barley on their farm, they had two maltsters down the road and they had a fresh supply of water from the River Thet. They persuaded a distiller from Laphroaig to help get them going and began production in December 2006 as the English Whisky Company.

When the Nelstrops started out, they were the first and only registered whisky distillery to make the spirit on English soil for more than 120 years. At that time English whisky was little more than an interesting novelty, not expected to have an impact worldwide. Today there are 44 makers in England either making whisky, in the planning stages or building a distillery, and they span the country from Cornwall to Northumberland. Not only that, they are winning awards and gaining a respected presence on the international scene.

Andrew Nelstrop admits that this explosion in numbers has taken everyone in the industry by surprise and, so far, the impact on his business is good. "When the first 20 distilleries opened, each one was a helping hand," he says. "We did lots of marketing and there are now a huge number of people banging the drum, and that is incredibly valuable." At present his distillery is one of only four, along with Spirit of Yorkshire, Ad Gefrin in Northumberland and Bimber in London, bringing volume to the market.