WHISKY FURORE! SINGLE MALT MADE IN ENGLAND IS NAMED WORLD'S BEST 'WHISKY'
It is enough to make a Scotsman splutter into his evening dram – an English whisky has been named the Best Single Malt in the world.
The English Sherry Cask whisky, made in a Norfolk distillery, beat stiff international competition, including Scotland’s finest, in the World Whisky Awards.
Bottled by hand by The English Distillery in Breckland, it is an unpeated single malt that has been matured in the finest Pedro Ximenez (PX) sherry casks.
The distillery opened its doors 17 years ago but its award winning whisky, priced at £59 a bottle, has been available for only six months.
The judges praised its ‘aromas of rich dark fruits from the sherry-filled casks’.
These combine to give a whiff of ‘raw honey and vanilla, leading to a burst of sweet toffee, cherries and digestives’ in a ‘wonderfully balanced and rich whisky’.
The English Distillery was founded by farmer James Nelstrop with the help of master distiller Ian Henderson. It is made using barley grown locally and on the Nelstrop family farms.
The entire distillation process of milling, mashing, distilling, using a pair of traditional copper stills, is followed by the maturing in the finest oak casks and hand bottling.
The 20-strong team behind the success is led by Andrew Nelstrop, who took on the distillery following his father’s death in 2014.
Mr Nelstrop said: ‘We’re stunned. Whilst any whisky maker hopes to win an award, winning the big one is the realisation of my father’s sole goal of creating world-class single-malt whiskies in England, and sharing them with whisky lovers around the world.’
The father of two, whose wife Katy works alongside him, added: ‘I know my father would have been hugely proud of this achievement, as are we.’
Revealing a growing interest in distilling in England, Mr Nelstrop said: ‘This award is another milestone for whisky making in England, particularly when it’s judged against some of the finest single malt whiskies from around the world, including Scotland.’
The 46 per cent ABV whisky is not chill filtered and has a natural colour.
The Scotch Whisky Association put on a brave face and took the opportunity to stress that decisions on what makes the perfect whisky is always a matter of personal taste.
A spokesman said: ‘It’s always positive to see such interest in the entire whisky category.
‘Choosing a favourite whisky is a very personal and subjective choice, and Scotch whisky consistently wins awards around the world.
‘We are proud that Scotch Whisky is the world’s number one internationally traded spirit, and that more Scotch is enjoyed worldwide than American, Irish and Japanese whiskies combined.
Last year, Scotch whisky exports were worth more than £5.6billion, with 43 bottles per second leaving our shores.
‘This is only possible because the industry produces a huge and diverse range of consistently high-quality spirit, enjoyed in around 180 markets worldwide.’
Read more 2024-03-26T00:14:33Z dg43tfdfdgfd