Adnams and the Copper House Distillery

Type: Distillery and brand

The first spirit distilled at Copper House was not whisky but vodka. On 15 October 2010, Adnams ran its first distillation through a beer stripping column inside its brewery grounds in Southwold, on the Suffolk coast.[4] Whisky followed, built around East Anglian cereals and new oak. Today, Adnams lists Single Malt, Rye Malt and Triple Malt as its core range.[8][9]

Opened in 2010, Copper House gave a new purpose to part of a much older brewing site. Its story brings together brewery engineering, different grain recipes and a distinctive commitment to new wood.[2][3][6][8]

At a glance

Copper House is a distillery within a brewery, rather than a name attached to whisky from an undisclosed source. It occupies the refurbished old Copper House at the Sole Bay Brewery, in space freed by the brewery’s 2008 refit.[3]

What makes Copper House distinctive

Grain and wood define the range. Adnams describes all its spirits as based on locally grown, East Anglian malted cereals. For its core whiskies, it pairs different grain recipes with new French or American oak. The story is more interesting than a brewery simply turning finished beer into whisky.[8]

Adnams has made a beer spirit, but that is a separate product. The 2013 release report described Spirit of Broadside as an eau de vie de bière, matured in heavily toasted Russian oak. Its place in the range is distinct from the barley, rye, wheat and oat recipes used for Adnams whisky.[5][8]

From brewery to distillery

The brewery’s history begins long before Copper House. In Adnams’ account, Thomas Bokenham bought the Swan Hotel in 1818 and sold the brewhouse behind it to maltster William Crisp. George and Ernest Adnams then bought the Sole Bay Brewery from Crisp in 1872. These are milestones in the brewing story; whisky distillation came much later.[2]

The distillery was Jonathan Adnams’ idea, first discussed in 2009. John McCarthy, who had joined Adnams as an engineer in 2001, travelled with Jonathan and German still maker Carl to the USA to explore whether the project would work. Brewery engineering was at the heart of Copper House from the outset.[4][6]

Story box: A new use for the Copper House

Founding story: The Copper House Distillery opened in 2010 at the brewery, using space released during the 2008 refit.[2][3]

Turning point: Adnams dates its first distillation to 15 October 2010, a vodka run through the beer stripping column.[4]

Documented record: Companies House records Adnams plc’s incorporation on 24 March 1890, a company milestone separate from the distillery’s opening.[1]

Sources and claim mapping: Opening, premises, first distillation, incorporation.

Last checked: November 2026.

Copper House production timeline

Different grains and woods were part of the project from its first releases. Single Malt No 1 used virgin French oak; Triple Grain No 2 combined barley, wheat and oats with virgin American oak. A contemporary release report described whisky drawn from 20 casks, with a separate holding of 89 bourbon barrels of maturing whisky.[5]

The year of those first releases is clear. The exact date is disputed.

Claim: The first Adnams whiskies were released on a specific date in 2013.

Verdict: Disputed.

What the record shows: Master of Malt gives 5 December 2013 for the first whiskies; Whisky Auctioneer dates the Single Malt No 1 release to November 2013.[5][7]

Evidence against or gap: The exact first release date is not reliably established.

Earliest known source: Not reliably established from the supplied sheet.

Sources: Master of Malt, 2013; Whisky Auctioneer, checked November 2026.

Last checked: November 2026.

Inside Copper House: the equipment accounts

Handmade copper columns feature in the early descriptions of Copper House. In 2011, Whisky Magazine reported a pair of copper column stills made by Carl of Germany.[3] The 2013 release report described a beer stripping column in place of a traditional wash still, and fermentation vessels rather than conventional washbacks, the vessels in which a whisky wash ferments.[3][5]

The terminology changes in Adnams’ own description of Single Malt: “Small-batch and copper pot stilled”. The accounts do not establish whether this refers to the same equipment or period as those earlier reports, leaving the current still count and type unresolved.[3][5][8]

Claim: The published accounts establish the type of still used for Adnams Single Malt.

Verdict: Disputed.

What the record shows: Whisky Magazine described two copper column stills in 2011, and Master of Malt described a beer stripping column in 2013. Adnams describes its Single Malt as copper pot stilled.[3][5][8]

Evidence against or gap: The current still count and type are not reliably established, and the accounts do not establish whether they describe the same equipment or period.

Earliest known source: Not reliably established from the supplied sheet.

Sources: Whisky Magazine, 2011; Master of Malt, 2013; Adnams, checked November 2026.

Last checked: November 2026.

The core whiskies: grain and oak

Barley alone, rye with barley, or wheat, barley and oats: the grain recipes separate the three core whiskies before the choice of oak comes into play. The ingredients and maturation details below are Adnams’ own descriptions, not a site tasting or independent flavour assessment.[8]

Rye Malt is not an all-rye whisky: malted barley makes up a quarter of its grain recipe. Triple Malt, meanwhile, is the successor to Triple Grain, not another name for a separate current whisky. Whisky Auctioneer dates that replacement to 2016.[7][8]

New oak, with a place for bourbon barrels

New oak runs through the Copper House story, from the first trials to the core range. Early experiments used barley and three-grain washes, matured mostly in new French oak. Adnams’ present descriptions specify new French oak for Single Malt and Rye Malt, and new American oak for Triple Malt.[3][8]

McCarthy’s published interview gives a different account of the single malt’s wood. He said more than 90% of the barrels bought were new and came from a French cooperage, and described the single malt as “a blend of French oak and ex-bourbon, 66:33”.[6] That account and the current Single Malt description are distinct: the latter specifies new French oak. They should not be combined into one cask recipe or assumed to describe the same period.[6][8]

When comparing the range, look beyond malt versus rye. The grain recipe, origin of the oak and stated maturation period all matter.[8] For other English distillery profiles, see the English Distillery, Spirit of Yorkshire and Filey Bay, and White Peak and Wire Works.

Beyond the core range

The wider Adnams whisky collection includes Distiller’s Choice 12 Year Old Single Malt, Wheat Whisky and Britten As A Boy, alongside Maggi Hambling X Adnams 6PM Whisky. These extend the collection rather than replace the three core whiskies. Check the producer’s whisky collection for the current selection.[9]

Common misunderstandings

• “Adnams is only a brewer.” Brewing is central to its history, but Copper House opened in 2010. Companies House also lists distilling, rectifying and blending of spirits among Adnams plc’s activities.[1][2]
• “Adnams was England’s first modern whisky distillery.” Copper House was not England’s first modern whisky distillery. Whisky Magazine’s 2011 report noted that St George’s in Norfolk was already making English whisky before Adnams.[3]

Visiting Copper House

Start with Adnams’ official distillery page for its Distillery Tour, rather than assuming that access to the brewery grounds means access to the distilling equipment. Before travelling, confirm the booking arrangements, accessibility, age restrictions and any conditions attached to the tour directly with Adnams.[11]

For a whisky-focused visit, ask: which cereals are used? Which oak is chosen? How does the present equipment relate to the early descriptions?[2][3][8]

Adnams as a business

Adnams plc is the company behind the brewery and distillery. Incorporated on 24 March 1890 and registered at East Green, Southwold, it bore the legal name Adnams & Company plc until 11 October 1999. The corporate record, nineteenth-century brewery history and 2010 distillery opening are three distinct strands of the story.[1][2]

In its June 2026 AGM statement, Adnams described itself as a Suffolk-based beer, spirits and hospitality group and reported losing some contract distilling work. The statement concerns part of the wider business; it does not establish a change in Copper House’s distilling status or the fate of a particular whisky.[10]

Where to go next

• The English Distillery: another chapter in England’s whisky distilling story.
• Spirit of Yorkshire and Filey Bay: explore another English distillery and its whisky brand.
• White Peak and Wire Works: a further distillery and brand to discover alongside Copper House.

Sources

1. Companies House. Adnams plc. Company register, edition recorded November 2026. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/00031114
2. Adnams. Our History. Producer’s account, web edition recorded November 2026; publication year not supplied. https://adnams.co.uk/pages/our-history
3. Whisky Magazine. Riding the Wave. Trade report, 2011, as identified in the supplied fact sheet. https://whiskymag.com/articles/riding-the-wave/
4. Adnams. Adnams Legends: John’s Journey to Distiller. Producer’s account, web edition recorded November 2026; publication year not supplied. https://adnams.co.uk/blogs/journal/adnams-legends-johns-journey-to-distiller
5. Master of Malt. Adnams Release Their First Ever Whiskies. Trade report, 2013. https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/adnams-release-their-first-ever-whiskies/
6. Master of Malt. Five minutes with John McCarthy, head distiller at Adnams. Interview, web edition recorded November 2026; publication year not supplied. https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/five-minutes-with-john-mccarthy-head-distiller-at-adnams/
7. Whisky Auctioneer. Adnams Single Malt. Trade reference, web edition recorded November 2026; publication year not supplied. https://whiskyauctioneer.com/learn/explore-whisky/bottles/adnams-single-malt
8. Adnams. Our spirits. Producer’s product descriptions, web edition recorded November 2026; publication year not supplied. https://adnams.co.uk/pages/corespiritscollection
9. Adnams. Whisky. Producer’s collection page, web edition recorded November 2026; publication year not supplied. https://adnams.co.uk/collections/whisky
10. Adnams plc, via Investegate. AGM Statement. Company announcement, June 2026. https://www.investegate.co.uk/announcement/rns/adnams-plc--adb/agm-statement-/9639796
11. Adnams. Distillery. Producer’s visitor information, web edition recorded November 2026; publication year not supplied. https://adnams.co.uk/pages/distillery

This desk-researched article uses the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing company records, producer accounts and trade reporting.

Last checked: November 2026