The English Distillery

Type: Distillery and brand

In December 2006, the first 29 barrels of new make spirit were filled at a new distillery in Norfolk. That freshly distilled spirit, still awaiting maturation, marked an early chapter in the revival of English whisky.[4][5][6]

James and Andrew Nelstrop had founded the family business that year at Roudham, near East Harling. Formerly known as St George's Distillery, it is now The English Distillery.[4][5][6]

At a glance

How The English Distillery began

Grain came long before whisky in the Nelstrop family story. According to the producer, the family farmed in Yorkshire from 1335 and established a mill at Ackworth in 1772. James Nelstrop was born into a farming family in 1945, bringing that agricultural background to the Norfolk project.[1]

The idea had a personal spur. Suffolk News reports that Andrew's grandfather told James “it was a shame that all his grain had to go to Scotland to be made into whisky”.[6]

Verdict: Documented. Suffolk News reports the family recollection; no contemporary record of the conversation is given. Source: Suffolk News, 2023, checked November 2026.

According to The Spirits Business, James sketched the first plans on an A4 envelope. Planning permission and the first production followed, as the timeline below records.[4][5]

Story box: From farming to Norfolk whisky

A production timeline

A royal opening, a public opening and a first whisky release each mark a different milestone. Published accounts disagree on the dates of the public opening and first release.[4][5][8]

The producer names Iain Henderson, formerly of Laphroaig, as the distiller who led the first production. David Fitt came from brewing at Greene King and trained under Henderson before becoming chief whisky maker.[1][5]

First release year: Disputed. That Boutique-y Whisky Company gives the end of 2009; Master of Malt gives 2010. The exact date remains unresolved. Sources: That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 2017 and Master of Malt, checked November 2026.[5][8]

Public opening: Disputed. One trade account places it after the 2007 royal opening; another gives 2008. The precise date remains unresolved. Sources: The Spirits Business, 2025 and That Boutique-y Whisky Company, 2017, checked November 2026.[4][5]

Grain, water and the stills

Water is drawn from the Breckland Aquifer through a borehole beneath the distillery. The 2025 trade account records two copper pot stills; the earlier production report likewise describes one pair of stills.[4][5][6]

Barley links the Norfolk site to both its neighbours and the wider family business. The producer identifies local Norfolk farms and family farms in Lincolnshire as sources. The 2025 account names Crisp Maltings at Fakenham as the maltster.[1][4]

The available production figures give a historical snapshot. A 2017 report put installed capacity at more than 100,000 litres of pure alcohol a year and recorded 2016 production of 50,000 litres; the supplied record does not establish the basis of that production volume. Of that year's production, 60% was unpeated and the remainder peated.[5]

That split helps explain why smoke appears in part of the range rather than everything made here. It describes production choices in 2016, not a fixed recipe for later years.[5]

Casks bring another set of choices. The Spirits Business reports ex-bourbon casks from Jim Beam arriving in Norfolk whole, alongside sherry, Madeira and other wine casks. Many casks, it reports, are self-seasoned.[4]

The fifth bonded warehouse was completed in January 2025. It marks a stage in the site's development, rather than supplying a current capacity figure.[4]

What it is known for

Peated and unpeated whisky sit side by side here, with cask type given a prominent role. The published core range comprises The English Original, The English Smokey and The English Sherry Cask.[5][9]

The Sherry Cask was introduced as whisky matured “start to finish” in PX sherry casks and bottled at 46% ABV. The trade report announcing the expression describes full maturation in those casks, rather than a short finishing period.[9]

That expression also brought wider recognition: the producer records The English Sherry Cask as World's Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards 2024. Eastern Daily Press reports English Gently Smoked Sherry Hogshead as World's Best Single Malt in the Small Batch category at the 2026 awards. These honours belong to the named whiskies and competition categories.[1][7]

The range's other grain and smoke identities had already earned awards in 2023. The Norfolk Farmers single grain won the World Whiskies Awards Grain category, while The English 2010 Vintage Peated won Small Batch Single Malt, 12 years and under.[6][9]

Alongside those award winners, releases reported in 2023 included a 16 year old Founder's Private Cellar whisky, distilled in 2007 and matured in a port cask.[6]

The 2025 account lists Chapter 18, Founders' Private Cellar 18 Year Old and Cask 001 among that year's releases. These records describe releases at the time, rather than present availability.[4]

Visiting the Norfolk site

Andrew Nelstrop put tourism at the heart of his description of the business. In a September 2025 interview, he said: “we don't actually have a whisky business; we have a tourist business, with a whisky business on the side.” The same account describes a whisky shop, tours, a restaurant, conference rooms and a Whisky Academy.[4]

Verdict: Documented. The Spirits Business records Andrew's characterisation, not an independent assessment of the business. Source: The Spirits Business, September 2025, checked November 2026.

Visitor estimates come from different reporting periods. Suffolk News gave more than 40,000 a year in 2023; the 2025 account reported 80,000 to 85,000 following a site redesign.[4][6]

Before travelling, check the official website for booking requirements, accessibility information and age rules for tours. Confirm whether the restaurant or academy requires a separate booking.

Four distinctions worth getting right

The distillery is not a 1981 whisky business

The distillery's founding date is separate from the incorporation date of ENGLISH WHISKY CO. LIMITED. Companies House records that company as incorporated on 12 February 1981, initially as AUDITLET LIMITED. Its previous names include a farm services company and NORFOLK COUNTY LIMITED; it became NORFOLK WHISKY CO. LTD in November 2005.[2]

“First” needs a precise meaning

The producer describes the project as England's first whisky distillery in more than a century. Trade histories give that claim important context: Hicks & Healey in Cornwall opened in 2003 and is credited with technically making the first English whisky of the modern revival, although its whisky was released later.[1][8][12]

English whisky existed before this revival

Norfolk's story is one of revival, not invention. Master of Malt's historical account notes that Alfred Barnard's 1887 survey listed four English whisky distilleries, and that Lea Valley closed in 1903.[8]

The English Distillery is not the whole category

The English Distillery is one producer. English Whisky / English Whiskey is also a geographical indication, registered from 1 October 2026 under Article 21 of assimilated Regulation (EU) 2019/787, according to the GOV.UK register, checked in November 2026. The brand, the distillery and the protected name are distinct.[10]

Sources

[1] The English Distillery. Heritage. Undated producer's account, checked November 2026. https://www.englishwhisky.co.uk/pages/heritage

[2] Companies House. ENGLISH WHISKY CO. LIMITED, company 01545184. Company overview and previous names, checked November 2026. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01545184

[4] The Spirits Business. SB visits: The English Distillery. September 2025. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2025/09/sb-visits-the-english-distillery/

[5] That Boutique-y Whisky Company. English Whisky. January 2017. https://www.thatboutiqueywhiskycompany.com/blog/2017/1/11/english-whisky

[6] Suffolk News. Meet the World Whisky award-winning distillery owner. 2023 account, checked November 2026. https://www.suffolknews.co.uk/thetford/meet-the-world-whisky-award-winning-distillery-owner-continu-9345595/

[7] Eastern Daily Press. English Distillery in Norfolk wins world's best whisky award. 2026 account, checked November 2026. https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/25984666.english-distillery-norfolk-wins-worlds-best-whisky-award

[8] Master of Malt. The future of English whisky. Undated in supplied record, checked November 2026. https://www.masterofmalt.com/blog/post/the-future-of-english-whisky/

[9] The Spirits Business. The English Distillery reveals new addition to core range. October 2023. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2023/10/the-english-distillery-reveals-new-addition-to-core-range/

[10] Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs. English Whisky / English Whiskey protected name. Register entry, checked November 2026. https://www.gov.uk/protected-food-drink-names/english-whisky-slash-english-whiskey

[12] Whisky for Everyone. A brief history of English whisky. Undated in supplied record, checked November 2026. https://whiskyforeveryone.com/a-brief-history-of-english-whisky/

This desk researched article uses the supplied verified fact sheet, separating producer histories, company records and trade reporting; it includes no site visit or firsthand tasting.

Last checked: November 2026