Spirit of Yorkshire and Filey Bay

Type: Distillery and brand

Spirit of Yorkshire is the distillery in Hunmanby, on the Yorkshire coast; Filey Bay is its whisky brand, not its distilling address. Farmer and brewer Tom Mellor and his friend David Thompson founded the business to make whisky using barley and water from the Mellor family farm. [4][6][8]

At a glance

What Spirit of Yorkshire and Filey Bay are known for

The connection between farm, brewery and distillery is central to the business. Club Oenologique reports that all its barley comes from the family farm, where the farming approach includes cover crops and direct drilling, described in that account as regenerative farming. The water also comes from the farm, filtered through chalk. [4]

That connection should not be mistaken for a claim that every operation takes place at the distillery. In its 2022 account, Whisky Magazine quoted the distinction directly: “Apart from the malting, everything happens on the site”. The maltster is not identified in the verified record. [6]

The other defining feature is the equipment. Alongside the two copper pot stills sits a four-plate column, allowing the distillery to make two styles of spirit and mature them separately. Filey Bay is therefore a useful example of an English producer whose production story needs more explanation than a count of its pot stills. [4][5][6]

From a barley conversation to whisky

Mellor and Thompson’s friendship began in the 1980s, when Thompson visited Hunmanby Grange to discuss barley seed. The farm has been in the Mellor family since 1945, giving the later whisky project an agricultural foundation rather than simply a rural address. [4]

The whisky idea followed in 2011, over a pint. The founding conversation, as reported by Club Oenologique, brought together resources already available to them: barley, water and brewing experience. Mellor and Thompson joined forces to move into whisky in 2012, and Spirit of Yorkshire Limited was incorporated that August. [1][4][7]

The late Dr Jim Swan helped establish the production process. Joe Clark joined as Whisky Director in 2016, the year the stills first ran and the first casks were filled. Those are separate milestones from incorporation: the company existed before it began distilling. [2][4][5][6]

Story box: A whisky idea rooted in the farm

• Founding story: Mellor and Thompson’s whisky idea began in 2011; they joined forces in 2012. Source and claim mapping: Club Oenologique, Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery. [4]
• Turning point: First distillation and first cask filling followed in June 2016, according to the producer’s account. Source and claim mapping: Spirit of Yorkshire, Filey Bay. [2]
• Documented record: Incorporation took place on 16 August 2012. Source and claim mapping: Companies House, Spirit of Yorkshire Limited. [1]
• Verdict, Documented: The reported founding conversation connected the farm’s barley and water with the founders’ brewing experience. The supplied record identifies a later published account, not a contemporary transcript. Earliest source identified in the supplied record: Club Oenologique, Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery; publication date not supplied. [4]
• Last checked: November 2026; exact day not supplied.

How the spirit is made

Forsyths of Rothes made the two copper pot stills. The column works with the spirit still rather than representing an entirely separate production story: Club Oenologique describes the arrangement as producing two styles of distillate, which are filled into casks and matured separately. [4][5]

An earlier Whisky Magazine account reported that around half the output passed through the column to produce a high-strength new make spirit, the unmatured spirit destined for casks. That is a historical description of the production split, not a verified current proportion. [5]

The same early account recorded a routine involving 10,000 litres of wash on Mondays and Fridays, supporting four distillations a week. These details show the routine described at the time; they should not be read as a present-day operating schedule. [5]

In January 2022, Whisky Magazine reported annual output of around 80,000 litres of pure alcohol, against capacity of 292,000 litres of pure alcohol a year. The distinction matters: the larger number described capacity, not the quantity actually produced. [6]

The column also raises a classification question. Whisky Magazine discussed the contrast with Scottish single malt production in 2022, but that historical account does not establish whether column-assisted spirit meets the 2026 English Whisky GI’s single malt definition. This page therefore describes the equipment without making that legal determination. [6]

Casks and the Filey Bay range

The early cask programme relied mainly on first-fill ex-Old Forester bourbon casks. By 2022, the documented selection also included STR wine barriques, refill casks from peated distilleries and sherry butts. Documented: Whisky Magazine called STR casks Dr Jim Swan’s “calling card” in the programme. The supplied record identifies the magazine’s 2022 account as the source; it does not establish an earlier source. Checked November 2026. Whisky Magazine, Distillery Focus: Visiting Spirit of Yorkshire. [6]

Those cask choices offer a clearer way into the range than an unsupported house tasting note. The producer lists Flagship, Moscatel Sherry Cask and STR Red Wine Cask as core expressions; Moscatel Sherry Cask uses ex-Moscatel sherry hogsheads. These names identify different parts of the maturation programme, rather than different distilleries. [2]

Filey Bay First Release was bottled in September 2019. It comprised 2,000 bottles, matured for over three years in ex-bourbon casks. Second Release followed in late November 2019, also drawing on ex-bourbon casks. [2][3]

Documented: The producer says First Release “sold out almost immediately”. The supplied record identifies the producer’s account but gives no publication date or earlier source. Checked November 2026. Spirit of Yorkshire, Flagship. [3]

The producer’s description, “the first single malt whisky made in, and of, Yorkshire”, expresses the brand’s emphasis on local production and farm-grown barley. It is presented here as the producer’s wording, not as an independently established priority claim. [2]

Beyond the core expressions, the producer lists Special Release, Heritage and Nurture ranges. Its Distillery Projects 001 to 004 explored bringing casks together, while 005 and 006 were single cask releases. Earlier named bottlings included Peated Finish #1, Moscatel Finish and IPA Finish. [2][6]

Documented: According to Whisky Magazine, Scarborough Fair IPA went into casks that had held whisky, after which whisky returned to those casks. The supplied record identifies the magazine’s 2022 account as the source; it does not establish an earlier source. Checked November 2026. Whisky Magazine, Distillery Focus: Visiting Spirit of Yorkshire. [6]

A 2026 interview with Thompson also recorded Porter Cask, Sherry Cask Reserve, Yorkshire Day and Double Oak releases. It described whisky maturing in Yorkshire oak and plans for a first Yorkshire rye whisky; those projects should be distinguished from released bottlings. [7]

Production timeline

The coast, the name and visiting

The stillhouse and visitor centre occupy a small industrial estate in Hunmanby, described in the published accounts as a ten-minute drive from Filey Bay. The coastal name belongs to the whisky, but the production address is Hunmanby. [5][6][8]

A gannet profile appears on every Filey Bay label. [7]

Documented: Thompson explained the emblem through the bird’s return to the same cliff nest each year, saying it “clearly loves this place”. The supplied record identifies his August 2026 interview as the source; it does not establish an earlier source. Checked November 2026. Whiskey Network, David Thompson: The Spirit of Yorkshire. [7]

For a visit, check the distillery’s current information before travelling, including booking requirements, accessibility and age rules for tours. The documented public opening in April 2017 establishes the visitor attraction’s history, not today’s opening arrangements. [8]

Where to go next

• The English Distillery: another English distillery profile.
• Cotswolds Distillery: continue exploring English whisky producers.
• White Peak and Wire Works: another guide separating a distillery’s identity from its whisky brand.

Sources

1. Companies House. Spirit of Yorkshire Limited. Company number 08182937, incorporation record, 2012. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/08182937
2. Spirit of Yorkshire. Filey Bay. Producer’s account, undated; checked November 2026. https://spiritofyorkshire.com/filey-bay/
3. Spirit of Yorkshire. Flagship. Producer’s account, undated; checked November 2026. https://spiritofyorkshire.com/flagship-landing-page/
4. Club Oenologique. Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery. Trade profile, publication date not supplied; checked November 2026. https://cluboenologique.com/iwsc-top-50-producers/spirit-of-yorkshire-distillery/
5. Whisky Magazine. Spirit of Yorkshire. Trade feature, publication date not supplied; checked November 2026. https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/spirit-of-yorkshire/
6. Whisky Magazine. Distillery Focus: Visiting Spirit of Yorkshire. Trade feature, 2022; checked November 2026. https://whiskymag.com/articles/distillery-focus-visiting-spirit-of-yorkshire/
7. Whiskey Network. David Thompson: The Spirit of Yorkshire. Trade interview, August 2026. https://whiskeynetwork.net/2026/08/david-thompson-the-spirit-of-yorkshire/
8. Deliciouslyorkshire. Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery. Member listing, producer’s account, undated; checked November 2026. https://deliciouslyorkshire.co.uk/member/spirit-of-yorkshire-distillery/

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

Last checked: November 2026