Southern Comfort?

The world at large seems to have reacted with incredulity at the notion of making whisky in England, but when Alfred Barnard toured the distilleries of Britain during the 1880s he visited four English facilities which produced whisky. Lea Valley, in Stratford, London was the only malt whisky distillery operating in England at that time, while the Vauxhall and Bank Hall distilleries in Liverpool, along with Bristol distillery, produced grain spirit for blending purposes. Of Bristol, Barnard wrote, “The spirit produced is pure Grain Whisky, which matures rapidly, and after five or six years' maturation is said to be most equal to old brandy.”

Now, a century and more after the last whisky flowed from a legal English still, the country is once again home to a whisky distillery, and from this month onwards, St George's distillery at Roudham in Norfolk is opening its doors to the public, so it will be possible to see English whisky-making in action once again.

The distillery was the brainchild of grain farmer James Nelstrop and his son Andrew, who fills the role of managing director of the English Whisky Company. The plant was built at a cost of £2 million, ostensibly as a retirement project for James, and the first spirit flowed in December of last year. Around 15 ex-Bourbon barrels, or 2,000 litres, are currently being filled each week, with 100,000 bottles

of the as yet unnamed St George's whisky being due to hit the shelves in December 2009, followed a few months later by limited quantities of a heavily peated version. Sherry and Madeira casks will also be filled on an experimental basis.

Early samples have been well received by Scottish distillers, impressed with the quality of the young spirit, distilled using traditional Scottish techniques and equipment, but utilising East Anglian barley and yeast.

Scotch whisky industry veteran Iain Henderson, best known for his association with Laphroaig, was recruited to manage the new venture, but is planning to retire to his native country in the not too distant future. Henderson asserts “I have to confess that this whisky will be every bit as good as the established Scotch whiskies and I think it will catch on. Lots of people have told me I've been disloyal in heading south of the border to make the first English whisky. It doesn't bother me one jot. It's been a lot of hard work to get a distillery up and running from scratch, but the results have been well worth it.”

From mid-August the distillery will be offering a 'St George's Tour' and a 'World Whisky Tour.' The 'St George's Tour' costs £4.75 per person and takes approximately one hour. It includes a talk about the local area and its compatibility to whisky distillation, the history of whisky, and the unique qualities the Breckland area lends to its production. A guided tour of the distillery is followed by the opportunity to taste the spirit before it is filled into casks to mature.

The 'World Whisky Tour' costs £20 per person and lasts approximately two hours. In addition to all of the above, there is a tutored nosing and tasting session of up to eight international whiskies. Further tour details and booking facilities are available by phoning 01953 717939 or by e-mailing info@englishwhisky.co.uk. Miniature bottles of new-make spirit, blended with fruit and honey, may also be purchased from the distillery shop.

We already know the Japanese can certainly make fine whisky in the Scottish style, so what price that the English follow suit? This is the whisky industry, so as usual, only time will tell.

www.norfolkwhisky.co.uk