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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