About Us
Exploring English Whisky
Don’t know where to start with English Whisky, or where to head next? We’re here to guide you through this exciting new category. Our events and experiences bring you closer to the distilleries behind the products, helping you sip and savour your way round England.
Everything we do is open to all, but our membership gives you early access and serious discounts on tickets, products and experiences. Why not join an upcoming event, ping us a questions or buy your first bottle of English Whisky from our shop?
Wherever you’re heading, let us help you explore English Whisky along the way.
Events
Festivals, Distillery Tours & Tastings
Membership
Join our English Whisky community and enjoy a wide range of benefits.
Shop
English Whisky tasting packs, cask shares and event tickets
Our Mission
We exist to bring you closer to the wonders of English Whisky.
This young, but growing, category isn’t as well known or understood as other whisky categories – so we’re here to help you navigate & enjoy the English Whisky scene.
We do this by:
- Celebrating and sharing English Whisky at every available opportunity
- Raising the profile of English Whisky and its distilleries & products
- Ensure our events are welcoming to all, accessible, diverse & authentic
- Always sustainable – be that through our actions (reuse & recycling of packaging & sample bottles) or through partnerships with 3rd parties (e.g. The Thousand Year Trust)
- Break down misconceptions & misunderstandings and about English whisky (and whisk(e)y in general!)
We hope that our fun yet factual approach helps you on your English Whisky journey!
Exclusive Members Club
As a member you receive early access to and significant discounts on all of our activities
Events
Join one of of our physical or online events
English Whisky Products
English Whisky bottles, tasting packs, merchandise and more…
What Our Member’s Are Saying
About Richard
A South Londoner born & bred, Richard first became fascinated with whisky whilst working alongside Diageo at content and marketing agencies in the mid 2000’s. Initiating local whisky tastings as a hobby, Richard found his passion for sharing his love of, and fascination with, whisky.
During lockdown Richard (like many others) pivoted to online tastings & organised a St. Geroges’ Day English Whisky tasting for 50 people after sharing a bottle of Cotswolds Signature single malt at a Six Nations themed whisky night. The success of that event led to two online English Whisky Festivals and at the start of 2023 Richard quit his job to focus on building both Exploring English Whisky and the English Whisky Festival, which was held that November in person for the first time.
Richard has subsequently been invited to host English Whisky events across the UK, write for various whisky & drinks publications and judge spirits awards. He currently lives in South London with his wife and two children.
Join Our English Whisky Community
FAQ’s
English Whisky Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve tried to answer all the questions you may have for us in the following FAQ, but there’s always something new, so if you don’t see what you’re looking for, drop us a line via the contact page and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you.
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What is English Whisky?
Any whisky produced in England currently counts as English whisky, whatever grain is used – so long as it meets the EU requirements and is aged for 3 years in wooden casks. But to us, English Whisky is a craft category, far smaller than Scotch or Irish in comparison.
The majority of English distilleries are flavour forward brands, taking their time and using high quality ingredients and equipment to produce more flavoursome whiskies at a younger age. Inspired by the growing World Whisky scene and craft whisky categories like that in the USA, English Whisky has rapidly come to be highly respected for the quality of output to date – as evidenced through multiple global award wins and column inches in the industry and wider press.
Where should I start?
If you can get along to the English Whisky Festival in November, this is a great way to immerse yourself in this exciting category and meet the makers and try their whiskies. If you can’t, then our year-round events (tours, tastings and online experiences) can be a great way to dip your toe into the category and learn about key distilleries, their approaches and (of course) sample some of their amazing liquids.
Our membership packages also make this more affordable through significant discounts and unique offers and products just for you.
Why is English Whisky more expensive than Scotch / Irish brands I can buy in the supermarket?
Most English distilleries are smaller than even the smallest Scottish distilleries. This is in part due to the fact that they’re much newer, but also because a huge chunk of Scotch is destined for blends for a global audience, whereas (to date) English distilleries are producing their own spirit for their own single malt / single grain / single estate whiskies.
Most English distilleries are also using more expensive premium ingredients to create more flavoursome spirits at a young age, such as heritage grains, craft yeasts, premium casks and a longer, slower process that generates more flavour – but comes at a cost.
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In The Press
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As a member of Exploring English Whisky you’ll have access to a world of exciting opportunities and products to bring you closer to English Whisky
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Exploring English Whisky
Your Gateway to the Wonderful World of English Whisky