Whisky may be much more closely associated with the Celtic nations of the United Kingdom but England has a strong whisky making history of its own.
The famed Alfred Barnard, who wrote the acclaimed book 'The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom', noted several whiskies distilleries in England when it was released in 1887. These distilleries producing both malt and grain whisky at the time.
The last whisky distilleries in England closed in the early 1900s and for almost 100 years whisky was not produced in the country. Then, in 2006, the Nelstrup family opened the doors of St Georges Distillery in Roudham, Norfolk. The first spirit flowed from their stills in December 2006 and in 2009 they unveiled their first ever single malt whisky. Since then there have been many releases (Or Chapters as they are known by the distillery) of English single malt and it has garnered great reviews all over the world.
The English whisky sector continues to grow with new distilleries launching each year. From the Lakes Distillery in Cumbria to the London Distillery Company based out of Battersea we're about to see more English whisky on the shelves now than at a time anyone can remember.