Did you know Norfolk is home to England’s oldest registered whisky distillery? Leading the way for world-class English-made whisky, The English Distillery celebrates its 18th anniversary in 2025!
As home to a range of award-winning bottles, not to mention the World’s Best Single Malt Whisky’, this independent distillery is known for its care and craft, rich industry heritage and family focus.
We spoke to Andrew Nelstrop, Founder and Managing Director of The English Distillery, to mark this special occasion!
You can visit The English Distillery in Roudham, just off the A11
My father James has held a lifelong ambition to open an English Whisky distillery. This came about as his father used to grumble each harvest (way back in the 1950s & ‘60s) about the barley we grew having to go to Scotland to be turned into something useful.
I think that in the world of whisky, longevity is paramount; whisky may mature for 50 – 60 years in a cask, so is a generational product.
The owners of a distillery have to be able to think in these terms, much like a farmer planting a wood because another generation will see it come to fruition. This is a very hard thing to grasp for short term investors or entrepreneurs with an exit plan. So yes, being a family business is important to the brand but far more important to the quality of the product is the family’s ability to plan over generations rather than years.
I think it is incredibly important to define sustainability. Most important is economic sustainability to ensure the business survives into the future; this then allows us to invest into environmental sustainability. We work hard at both.
Our distillery is fitted out with all the latest kit to minimise its environmental impact (heat recovery, solar panels, recyclable packaging, 10 acres of willow trees and grassland). But ultimately, we still need gas to create steam, so until hydrogen becomes cost effective, a distillery will always struggle to be carbon zero. This is why we do everything possible to minimise our footprint.
Discover the secrets of The English Distillery’s whisky with a tour!
Our best-selling whisky is The English Original and to make it is a very long process!
It starts with malting barley being grown by a farmer, this is then malted by Crisps of Ryburgh, before being delivered to the distillery. Once here, we mill the grain and then it passes through the distilling process, which takes about 5-6 days.
The end result is a clear spirit with a strength of 65 – 70% abv. This spirit is then placed into a wooden cask. In the case of Original, it is a cask known as an ASB- short for American Standard Barrel- that previously held bourbon. The whisky will then sleep in the cask for several years. During those years it will take all of its colour from the cask and over half of its flavour.
Finally, when the whisky is deemed ready, it will be taken from the cask and hand bottled on site at the distillery before being despatched to 33 countries worldwide.
The first was released on 7th June (on what would have been our founder’s 80th Birthday) and is known as Chapter 18. This single malt whisky is incredibly easy drinking and each numbered bottle is presented in a beautiful gift tube.
The second release is incredibly important and is likely to become a collector’s item- it will launch on 11th September. This is a limited run of just 60 bottles drawn from Cask 001 and presented in a hand-blown glass bottle made by the master glass blowers at Norfolk-based Langham Glass. A truly unique whisky offering!
The 3rd release (on 25th September) and final birthday celebration will be a single cask bottling to be launched under our famous Founders’ Private Cellar range. This single cask of whisky has been maturing for 18 years and is testament to the work our distillers do. The type of whisky chosen for this bottling is still a closely guarded secret!
You can shop The English Distillery’s range in their on-site shop
We have a second brand called The Norfolk that produces grain whiskies, liqueurs & creams.
The Norfolk Nog is the favourite by far. This is a light delicious whisky cream that, once opened, doesn’t take long to finish!
When new to whisky, the most important thing to remember is that the best way to drink whisky is however you like: don’t be pressured into drinking it neat.
I think the best way is to find a lovely single malt whisky, such as The English Original or the new Chapter 18, and to start with try it with a good slug of water (I tend to go 50/50). You could also use it in simple summer cocktail- try a double of whisky, the same amount of soda water, a slug of lime juice, 1 tsp of sugar and some mint leaves– you have yourself a delicious Whisky Mojito!
2025 marks 18 years of The English Distillery! You can taste their Chapter 18 bottle now. And look out for 2 more special bottles, launching on 11 and 25 September 2025.
The English Distillery is open 7 days a week, 10am – 4pm. Visit them in Roudham, just off the A11, or explore their range via their website.
