English Whisky Society officially launched as part of first festival

By Lisa Riley

Published: 01 October, 2020

The English Whisky Society is gearing up for its official launch as part of the first English Whisky Festival to date.

The new organisation has been created with the sole aim of “promoting and enjoying" the homegrown spirit.

It will offer its members early access and discounts to a range of tastings and events, as well as exclusive bottlings and cask investments.

The organisation will formally launch during the English Whisky Festival, which is organised by the English Whisky Society and will take place on 16 and 17 October, where further details on membership and pricing will be available.

The virtual event will showcase more than 30 whiskies from 14 English distilleries, and will feature taste-at-home whisky packs alongside panel discussions from leading lights in the booming English whisky industry.

The event will provide everyone with an opportunity to see “why the English whisky industry has Scotch-lovers turning their attention south”, said Richard Foster, founder of the English Whisky Society.

“This is a golden age for English whisky-making, with distillers making a name for themselves around the globe.”

The English Whisky Festival meanwhile would be the “first-of-its-kind celebration of the best English whisky has to offer”, he added.

The five panel discussions will explore the secrets behind the explosion of English whisky-making in recent years.

Hosts for the panels include TV presenter Matthew Wright, Forbes Whisky writer, musician and whisky judge Felipe Schrieberg, Birmingham Whisky Club Founder and English whisky enthusiast Amy Seton, plus Avallen Spirits co-founder and spirits expert Tim Etherington-Judge.

The English whisky scene has grown from just one distillery in 2006 to 26 distilleries today selling, producing or maturing whisky in England – from Cumbria in the North to Kent in the South, and Cornwall in the West to Norfolk in the East.

In August, the WSTA launched an interactive map of distilleries and wineries that are open to the public in the UK.