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More than 70 distilleries now make English whisky
England has more than 70 distilleries making whisky, up from 46 in 2023, by the government’s count. English whisky is exported to more than 30 countries, and industry estimates, as the government reports them, value the stock maturing in English casks at around £1 billion.
On 11 September 2026 the government announced that English whisky had gained protected geographical indication status, and the name entered the register on 1 October. Only whisky distilled and matured in England may now be sold as English whisky or English whiskey.
The revival began in Norfolk in 2006
England had whisky distilleries in the nineteenth century, but the trade died out. The revival began in Norfolk in 2006, when James Nelstrop and his son Andrew opened St George’s Distillery at Roudham, by Wikipedia’s account, a secondary source. It now trades as The English Distillery and describes itself as England’s first registered, operational whisky distillery for over 100 years.
Others followed within a decade. The Cotswolds Distillery opened in July 2014 and released its first single malt in October 2017. Wikipedia, a secondary source, dates The Lakes Distillery, near Bassenthwaite Lake, to 2014. Time Out, a secondary source, dates Bimber, in Park Royal, London, to August 2015.
Four English whisky distilleries, from the distilleries’ own sites, Wikipedia and Time Out (both secondary)
The English Distillery (St George’s)
- Where
- Roudham, Norfolk
- Since
- 2006
- Note
- Founded by James and Andrew Nelstrop; the start of the revival
The Cotswolds Distillery
- Where
- Stourton, Warwickshire
- Since
- 2014
- Note
- First single malt released in 2017
The Lakes Distillery
- Where
- Near Bassenthwaite, Cumbria
- Since
- 2014
- Note
- Whisky, gin and vodka
Bimber
- Where
- Park Royal, London
- Since
- Founded August 2015
- Note
- Vodka and gin first, then whisky
| Distillery | Where | Since | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| The English Distillery (St George’s) | Roudham, Norfolk | 2006 | Founded by James and Andrew Nelstrop; the start of the revival |
| The Cotswolds Distillery | Stourton, Warwickshire | 2014 | First single malt released in 2017 |
| The Lakes Distillery | Near Bassenthwaite, Cumbria | 2014 | Whisky, gin and vodka |
| Bimber | Park Royal, London | Founded August 2015 | Vodka and gin first, then whisky |
English whisky became a protected name in September 2026
The English Whisky Guild led the application, which Global Drinks Intel, a trade title and secondary source, dates to 2022. The government granted it in September 2026, so English whisky joins Scotch among the whiskies of the UK and Ireland with protected names.
Scotch distillers objected to the single malt rule
Global Drinks Intel, a trade title and secondary source, reports that some distillers in Scotland called the English single malt definition “entirely inconsistent” with the Scotch rules, which require malted barley alone, pot stills and a single distillery. The English specification asks for malted barley, batch distillation with at least one pass through a pot still, a column allowed alongside it, and a single distillery. The government’s decision notice records copper stills as the principal point of contention among the formal objections.
UK law sets three years in wooden casks, and Scotch adds oak
Any whisky sold in the UK must be distilled below 94.8% ABV and matured for at least three years in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres. Only water and plain caramel may be added. Those are the general rules for every whisky.
English whisky and Scotch whisky compared, from the English Whisky GI specification and the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009
Legal protection
- English whisky
- Geographical indication granted in September 2026
- Scotch whisky
- Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009
Where made
- English whisky
- Distilled and matured in England
- Scotch whisky
- Distilled and matured in Scotland
Casks
- English whisky
- Wooden casks of no more than 700 litres
- Scotch whisky
- Oak casks of no more than 700 litres
Minimum age
- English whisky
- Three years
- Scotch whisky
- Three years
What may be added
- English whisky
- Water and plain caramel
- Scotch whisky
- Water and plain caramel
Single malt
- English whisky
- Malted barley, batch distilled with at least one pot still pass, one English distillery
- Scotch whisky
- Malted barley only, pot stills, one distillery
House style
- English whisky
- None yet; set by each distillery
- Scotch whisky
- Regional styles built over generations
| Rule | English whisky | Scotch whisky |
|---|---|---|
| Legal protection | Geographical indication granted in September 2026 | Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009 |
| Where made | Distilled and matured in England | Distilled and matured in Scotland |
| Casks | Wooden casks of no more than 700 litres | Oak casks of no more than 700 litres |
| Minimum age | Three years | Three years |
| What may be added | Water and plain caramel | Water and plain caramel |
| Single malt | Malted barley, batch distilled with at least one pot still pass, one English distillery | Malted barley only, pot stills, one distillery |
| House style | None yet; set by each distillery | Regional styles built over generations |
Scotch adds its own. It must be matured in Scotland, in oak casks only, for at least three years. English whisky must use wooden casks, and its specification names oak as one example without requiring it.
English whisky has no national style yet
Scotch carries regional styles built over generations, such as the peat of Islay. English whisky is too young for a national style. Its distilleries are trying different grains, yeasts, casks and peat, so two English whiskies can taste nothing alike.
Ask a bottle where it was distilled and what casks it saw. The label and the distillery’s site usually say.
Drink it neat with water, or in the stirred classics
An English single malt takes a drop of water well. In cocktails it can stand in for Scotch or bourbon in the stirred classics: an Old Fashioned, a Manhattan or a Boulevardier. The Penicillin is built on blended Scotch with a smoky float, and a lightly peated English malt suits it.
The facts come from the government, the law and the distilleries
The distillery count, exports, stock value and GI are from GOV.UK, 11 September 2026. The rules are from the English Whisky product specification, the register entry and the decision notice. The objections from Scotland are reported by Global Drinks Intel, a trade title and secondary source.
The general whisky rules are in Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 110/2008, the regulation that still applies in Great Britain. The Scotch rules are in the Scotch Whisky Regulations 2009.
The distilleries’ details are from The English Distillery and the Cotswolds Distillery themselves, and from Wikipedia on the English Distillery and The Lakes and Time Out on Bimber, all three secondary.