English whisky or whiskey is malt or grain whisky that is produced in England using cereal grains and water.
Whisky has been made in England since at least 1636. By the 1800s, distilleries were present in Liverpool, Bristol, and London. Production of English whisky started declining in the 1700s and ceased when Lea Valley, the last operational whisky distillery in England, moved to Scotland due to competition from Scottish distilleries. Commercial production of whisky was revived in 2003, and has been produced since then. English whisky is categorised as a new world whisky and is represented by the English Whisky Guild. As of 2026, there are 24 English whisky brands. The oldest-released bottle of English whisky is The English Founders Private Cellar 16 Years Old Port Cask.
History In 1636, the Worshipful Company of Distillers was granted a charter to produce spirits, including whisky. In 1825, the Chancellor of the Exchequer reduced the duty on alcohol and permitted distillers to sell directly to the public. The government believed this would encourage distillers to produce higher-quality spirits, eliminating the dangerous rectification process, which involves removing impurities from the spirit, and increase distillers' prosperity, generating revenue for the Treasury. The reduction in alcohol duty led to a near doubling of English spirit consumption and solidified England's reputation for distilling. Along with the introduction of cask-based aging, the removal of duties boosted demand for English spirits, accounting for around 16% of England's revenue by 1885.
The 1887 book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard lists the following English distilleries: Lea Valley Distillery, Stratford, Essex (founded in the late 19th century) — produced both grain and malt whisky. Bank Hall Distillery, Liverpool — produced grain and malt whisky. Bristol Distillery, Bristol (founded in the 17th century) — produced grain whisky which was "sent to Scotland and Ireland to make a Blended Scotch and Irish whisky, for whisky purpose it is specially adapted, and stands in high favour". Vauxhall Distillery in Vauxhall, Liverpool (founded in 1781) — produced grain whisky.
In 1903, Lea Valley Distillery, which was owned by The Distillers Company, moved production to Scotland due to the growing popularity and production of gin and Scotch whisky. This led to a 100-year gap in English whisky production, which was revived in 2005 when the English Whisky Co. began production and released its first malt whisky variety in 2009. In 2013, The London Distillery Company began production of the first single-malt whisky in London since Lea Valley Distillery closed in 1903. Three more English distilleries, The Cotswolds Distillery, Ludlow Distillery, and The Lakes Distillery, were producing whisky by 2014.
In 2016, Cooper King Distillery released the first edition of the English Whisky Map, since when seven editions, the latest being released in December 2025, have been published. In May 2022, the English Whisky Guild was established to protect and promote English whisky.
Regulations English whisky producers adhere to the English whisky GI and the British Standards Institute (BSI) guidance BS8636, which was released on 12 September 2023 and applies to English, Scotch, Welsh, and Irish whisky. These two documents set out the criteria for whisky production and packaging. They specify that whisky must be matured in wooden casks for three years, contain no additives or sweeteners except for E150a caramel colour, be matured to a minimum ABV of 40%, and have a final ABV of less than 94.8%. Previously English whisky producers had been following EU Regulation (2019/787).
There are four active intellectual property trademarks for individual distillers, including The English Whisky Co. and English Whisky from English oak, which are processed though the United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office.
An application to establish an English whisky GI began in February 2022 to outline statutory definition and labelling rules for English whisky, with a stipulation requiring grains and water to be locally sourced. In 2025 the English whisky GI entered the final stages with only minor changes necessary for completion, and on September 11 2026 the application was accepted.
Whisky producers that use English whisky/whiskey will have to register with the UK spirits verification scheme will be required to pay £250 per distillery every two years.
The English whisky GI is a legal framework that includes malt whisky and grain whisky, and the sub-divisions single and blended. Requirements for English whisky include the use of UK-grown cereal grains and water "from a supply local to the distillery for mashing and distilling"; milling and fermentation in England; distillation in England in a still with sufficient copper contact to an ABV of less than 94.8%; maturation in wooden casks of no more than 700 litres for at least three years, reaching a minimum ABV of 40%; and the exclusion of additional sweeteners and additives except for E150a caramel. All stages of production except bottling must take place in England.
The English whisky GI specifies that to be defined and labelled as an English single malt, products must be made using English malted barley and distilled in England in a pot still with sufficient copper conduct at a single distillery, although fermentation and mashing are permitted to take place off site. The definition of "single malt" in the English whisky GI has led to a disagreement with the Scotch Whisky Association.
Production stages
English whisky has more regulatory flexibility than traditional whisky producers, enabling more experimentation with styles, grain selection, cask ageing and blending techniques.
Sourcing Nearly all English whisky distilleries source barley from local farms and malt from malt houses in England; some distilleries occasionally source malt from Scotland. This flexibility in sourcing is reflected in the proposed English whisky Geographical indication (GI) which requires all cereal grain to be sourced from the United Kingdom, rather than being restricted to England.
Mashing and milling English whisky distilleries may obtain wash, also known as distillers beer, from nearby breweries for distillation into whisky; any wash produced off-site must be made in England.
Fermentation
English whisky distilleries have experimented with different types of yeast fermentation and use their brewing experience to craft more-original flavours of whisky. Notable examples include Grasmere Distillery, which uses ale yeasts and cold fermentation for fruity new-make spirits; Lancaster Spirits Co., employing 200-year-old yeast and slow fermentation for chemically aromatic, complex whisky that often bottled as new make; and Cotswolds Distillery, which uses two yeast strains to produce fresh, fruity spirits before maturation.
Production and trade value According to a March–April 2023 survey by the English Whisky Guild, there were 38,000 casks of English whisky maturing in distillery warehouses at that time. Distilleries estimated the laying down of around 50,000 casks by the end of 2024. Ninety-seven percent of distilleries were producing single malt whisky, and around a quarter were also producing whiskies from other grains such as rye. The total value of the maturing stock was estimated at more than £1 billion.
A June 2024 inaugural annual report by the English Whisky Guild stated English whisky sales in the previous year was 50,000 casks. Forty percent of sales were international and English whisky distilleries received approximately 250,000 visitors that year. The combined domestic and international sales value was reported as £1 billion.
Figures released in July 2024 by Speciality Foods indicated English whisky accounted for 26% of new spirit products listed over a twelve-month period and more than 50% of the volume of English spirits products listed since June 2023.
An October-2025 second annual report by the English Whisky Guild estimated the value of maturing English whisky stock at £1 billion (approximately $1.33 billion). Annual production was reported at . English whisky was sold in 35 markets worldwide, with 40% of volume exported and 89% of exports going to EU countries. The report also noted a cumulative total of 337,747 distillery visitors over a 12-year period.
International trade As of 2024, English whisky distilleries supported 443 jobs in England. English whisky was exported to 32 countries, including Japan, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Singapore, and the United States.
United States
On 25 June 2011, US authorities informed The English Whisky Co. it would not be able to sell English single malt whisky in the US market because it is produced using recycled oak barrels and US law requires that new oak barrels be used. The company accused the US of double standards; whisky from other nations, including Scotland, Ireland, Wales and France, uses recycled barrels to produce whisky.
On 3 January 2013, after five years of lobbying the UK Foreign Office, UK trade bodies and the US embassy, The English Whisky Co. was granted permission to sell English whisky in the US market. On 2 April 2025, the United States placed tariffs of 10% on English whisky. On 4 April 2025, Morag Garden, CEO of the English Whisky Guild, made a statement noting the importance of the US market for English whisky sales, and confirming the EWG would work with the UK Government and members of the industry to ensure fair and open trade and support the growth for English whisky.
India On 6 May 2025 India and the UK signed a trade agreement that reduced tariffs for English whisky from 150% to 75%, and is to 40% by the tenth year of the agreement.
Distilleries
Distilleries
There were 70 distilleries in England as of April 15, 2026, 27 of these were part of the English Whisky Guild. The oldest, The English Distillery, has brewed whisky for almost 20 years. The Cotswolds Distillery is the largest producer of whisky in England.
Regions English whisky distilleries are divided into nine regions: the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber, East Midlands, the East of England, London, South East England, South West England, the West Midlands, and North West England. The English whisky geographic area contains the Isle of Wight and the Isles of Scilly.
South East England has thirteen distilleries: Abingdon Distillery, Harley House Distillery, Wood Brothers Distillery, The Oxford Spirit Distillery (formerly The Oxford Artisan Distillery), Brightwell Bottle Distillery (formerly Black Bottle Distillery), Isle of Wight Distillery, Copper Rivet Distillers, Anno Distillers, Maidstone Distillery, Pleasant Land Distillery, Hawkridge Distillers, Aedda's Farm Distillery and Canterbury Brewers & Distillers.
South West England is the largest English whisky producing region with fifteen distilleries: Ten Hides Distillery, Wylye Distillery, Retribution Distilling Co., Witchmark Distillery, Dartmoor Whisky Distillery, Princetown Distillery, Trevethan Distillery, Penrock Distillery, Colwith Distillery, Rosemullion Distillery, Pocketful of Stones, Scilly Isles Distillery, Healeys Distillery, Wrecking Coast Distillery, Circumstance Distillery.
Greater London has six distilleries: Old Bakery Distillery, Maison Miles, East London Liquor Company, Bimber Distillery, Doghouse Distillery, The London Distilling Company.
The East of England has three distilleries: Fen Spirits, The English Distillery, Adnams Copper House Distillery.
The West Midlands has six distilleries: Cotswolds Distillery, Spirit of Birmingham Distillery, West Midlands Distillery, Ludlow Distillery, Henstone Distillery, Mercia Whisky.
The East Midlands has a two distilleries: White Peak Distillery, Wharf Distillery.