Whittaker’s distillery in Nidderdale, best known for its boutique gins, is to expand into the growing English whisky market.

The company in Dacre has already laid down 150 casks of whisky, which take three years to fully mature.  The first bottles will go on sale in the summer of next year.

Owner Toby Whittaker told the Stray Ferret the ability to make whisky from locally grown barley appealed to him:

“Personally I like the concept of knowing where the barley has come from.

“In our case my sister and brother-in-law have a farm at the end of the River Nidd at Ferrensby. The barley is grown there so we are tying in local provenance. The grain is malted in Castleford – so it keeps all the transport costs down and the employment local.

“If you contrast that with gin, we are buying juniper berries from the continent so I just love the idea of using the local barley and making a malt whisky from Nidderdale.”

Last year Whittakers was amongst a small group of English whisky makers that grouped together to found the English Whisky Guild. Its aim is to promote English whisky globally and protect the integrity of the product, ensuring it is made in England.

Making whisky is more complicated than making gin. There are more processes involved rather than a single distillation.  The whisky then has to be casked for three years so it requires more investment and more time.  Whittakers is currently filling a cask every week.

Mr Whittaker said his whisky is aimed at a niche market — for people who seek out whisky, or the whisky “geek” as he puts it.

Help to develop the whisky came from an unexpected place — two whisky-loving Americans based at Menwith Hill US air base.  Derek Dowler contacted Mr Whittaker during lockdown and they began experimenting. A second American, Blake Meyer, then got involved.

Toby, Derek and Blake then went on a “steep learning curve” but finally got production up and running.

Mr Whittaker said his processes are a blend of ancient and modern:

“Twenty-five percent of the flavour comes from the type of grain used and how well you distill it. We have concentrated on embracing modern science to use grains that produce high yields and flavours. It’s a mixture, we’ve got old fashioned cooperage, the making of casks, that’s a trade that’s been around for thousands of years and we’re using modern strains. It’s an exciting time. “

Mr Whittaker says the cost of living crisis has impacted the business. The cost of raw materials has jacked up continually, he said. The cost of glass, for example, has doubled.

But he feels it’s a growing market. As the Guild says on its website, the story of English whisky has just begun…

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A paranormal investigator claims the Stray is haunted by spirits of the dead.

CJ Myers from York was near the train line on Stray Rein at 4am earlier this week hunting for spirits when he said his psychic powers led to a phantastic discovery.

He said:

“I have psychic skills so spirits communicate with me. I usually get the answer I’m looking for”.

CJ claimed he saw a ghostly shadow move mysteriously over the turf.

The spirit stopped and communicated to him via his dowsing rods, two metal sticks that move when he asks the apparition questions.

CJ said the spirit had a tragic backstory, but he already knew something was not right as the spirit “smelled of blood”.

He added:

“When he was alive, he was walking across the Stray to commit suicide on the tracks. But as he was walking across, these lads attacked him and disabled him. They badly injured him.”

We feel we should point out there is no scientific evidence of the existence of ghosts.

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• Ghost walks launch in Knaresborough for spooky season
• Harrogate’s home for witches, spells and crystal balls

The Stray Ferret joined CJ to investigate the phantoms of the Stray on Wednesday afternoon.

Almost as soon as he got out his rods out, he picked up the spirit of a woman sitting on a bench. He ushered the woman to move into the light whilst his rods jumped back and forth.

But isn’t there a perfectly rational explanation for why his dowsing rods move so much on the Stray? There is a body of water underneath the grass after all.

No, says, CJ, as that doesn’t account for the fact he can see them too. Seeing is clearly believing.

He has his own ghostbusting crew, called North Yorkshire Paranormal Investigators. They’ve investigated ghosts at Harrogate Theatre, Spofforth Castle and the Nidd Gorge Viaduct.

They are recruiting for new members and full training is provided.

They even have a TikTok account where they hope to reach a new audience.

CJ says he communicates with spirits daily and claims to have cracked unsolved murders in the USA. He says sometimes the police listen to his tip-offs, sometimes they don’t.

He claims he’s been communicating with spirits for five years, although he said it’s sometimes a frightening experience.

“Once you’ve opened Pandora’s Box it happens every day. I’ve had experiences in our house. I had a picture of a cross on the wall, that flew forwards into the air. One day I found a spirit level laid on the top of the stairs.”

His message to the skeptics who say it’s all made up:

“They have a right to their opinion, but at the end of the day, they can’t do it.”