Artisan distilleries have become more commonplace since a change in the law in 2009. This allowed the distilling of small batches of alcohol for commercial sale, something previously outlawed. The floodgates opened, and the sheer range of spirits and flavours now available on the market is incredible, showcasing the imagination and ingenuity of producers.
One such entrepreneurial producer is Dr John Walters. His path to creating fine quality spirits was one that began with curiosity and, after listening to a BBC Radio 4 feature, a desire to prove that it wasn’t just the French who could produce eau-de-vie.
With a background in biochemistry and pharmaceuticals, as well as a healthy appetite for a challenge, his first foray into the world of distilling was to produce a small amount of brandy from grapes growing on a vine on the side of his house. Pleased with the results, Walters persisted, and in 2011, the English Spirit Distillery was officially born.
By this point, there were a number of other small-batch distilleries within the UK, producing gin, vodka and whisky, but Dr Walters and the English Spirit Distillery are responsible for producing the UK’s first rum and, more recently, the UK’s first sambuca.
The beauty of small-batch distilling is the amount of control that is held over the process and the flavours produced, as most steps are still completed by hand. English Spirit also takes that a step further, as it’s one of the few distilleries which distil from scratch, selecting ingredients that provide the best natural flavours available.
As well as having tight control over the ingredients and, therefore, the quality of everything they distil, Dr Walters has also had a big hand in the distillation process itself; the necks on the 200-litre stills used to create the vodka were designed and constructed by Walters himself, in order to meet his exacting standards.
Touring the Distillery
Since the humble beginnings of English Spirit Distillery and its first home in Dullington, Cambridgeshire, the company moved to bigger premises in Great Yeldham, Essex, where you can visit the rustic distillery and see just how hands-on the process really is.
Book a visit, and under the tutelage of an expert guide, you’ll be talked through the distilling process, seeing the process from start to finish. Don’t expect a slick, polished facility, though. The distillery is still housed in ancient sheds, patched up and modified as much as planning laws will allow.
The highlight, of course, is the sampling room. English Spirit has its entire range available – you don’t get to try all of them, sadly – giving you a chance to try your personal highlights from the ever-growing range.
Cornwall Expansion
The success of English Spirit Distillery – the holders of multiple industry awards, including Rum of the Year in 2020 – has meant that it is opening a new, state-of-the-art distillery at Treguddick Manor in Cornwall.
At the heart of the new distillery will sit a custom-built 2,500-litre copper still, designed by Dr Walters, using the experience gained from creating the stills used in Great Yeldham. While the size of the still does move away from its small-batch origins, the care and precision within the process, and the quality of the end product, should remain as high as it ever was.
“I fell in love with the Manor as soon as I saw it. It ticked all the boxes”, said Dr Walters. “We wanted to open another site to further our place in England’s high-quality food and drink industry and to show off what we do best, via educational tours, tastings and even cooking with spirits.”
Treguddick Manor will be opening to the public in late summer 2021, offering tours of the distillery. An on-site bar and restaurant, stocked with house spirits and offering menus that showcase the best produce of the South West, will also entice guests. Bookings are now being taken for tours in September
. The original location in Essex remains open to guests, too.
The English Sprirt Rum
With a huge array of rum, vodka, liqueurs and other spirits, it’s difficult to know where to start. The obvious solution is to start right at the beginning, with the Old Salt rum. The first rum to be distilled and marketed in the UK, it picked up the Hong Kong RumFest’s World’s Best Rum award in 2014. With good reason, too. Distilled from molasses rum, there are obvious flavours of raisins and Christmas cake, with caramel notes and a treacle finish. Sweet, but smooth.
Caramel Rum Liqueur turns that up to 11, but dropping the alcohol content down to 25% ensures there’s not too much happening at once. Smooth enough to drink neat, it’ll work in cocktails, over dessert or even in your coffee.
Spiced rum can be hit and miss, but English Spiced Rum takes the best of the original Old Salt rum and adds big, juicy cherry flavours, with fresh citrus, rich raisin and strong caramel notes. The spices add a floral note, with no fire or burn. It’s so good that we bought a bottle to take home.
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