A Dram Worth Waiting For: England’s First 18-Year-Old Whisky
Eighteen years is a long time to wait for a glass of whisky. But patience has paid off in Norfolk, where The English Distillery has just bottled something truly historic: England’s first-ever 18-year-old single malt.
It all began in 2006, when local farmer James Nelstrop and his son did something no one had attempted for more than a century: they built England’s first registered, operational whisky distillery. Against all the odds, the father and son duo laid down those first precious casks, quietly starting a journey that would change the country’s whisky story forever. This month, the very first of those casks has been opened, and what’s inside marks a milestone not just for the distillery, but for English whisky itself.
The English Distillery
The release is called Cask 001, and it has spent its entire life resting in their ‘Bond 1’ warehouse. Disturbed only twice, once to be transferred into a sherry cask, and then again to be returned to its original American oak barrel. The whisky has developed a richness that reflects both place and patience. The nose opens with soft vanilla, red fruit and sandalwood, which unfurl into crème brûlée and fresh strawberries. On the palate, it’s all caramel, oak and stewed apples, full-bodied with a lingering finish that seems designed for quiet evenings. Only 60 bottles exist, each presented in a hand-blown Norfolk glass decanter, priced at £3,000.
Alongside it comes the Founders’ Private Cellar 18-Year-Old, a rum cask-matured whisky created in tribute to James, who passed away in 2014. This one feels like a celebration. Warming with cinnamon, clove and vanilla, layered with raisins, tropical sweets, chocolate and liquorice, finishing with a sweet, smoky linger. Just 174 bottles are available, priced at £395.
For Andrew Nelstrop, James’s son and the distillery’s current custodian, these whiskies are more than just rare spirits. “They are a toast to the man who made it all possible,” he says. “And a fitting tribute to the revival of English whisky.”
The English Distillery
That revival has been extraordinary. What started with a question, “Why did England’s barley have to go north to Scotland?” has turned into a success story that’s put Norfolk on the global whisky map. Last year, The English Distillery’s Sherry Cask even beat rivals from Scotland and Japan to be crowned World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards.
And now, with the release of these landmark 18-year-olds, English whisky has come of age. Rich, indulgent and steeped in history, they’re more than just drams in a glass – they’re the taste of a dream realised.