Making the grain

Catherine Turnbull fires up a still and fills up a cask at a Distillery Experience Day as Yorkshire’s first whisky matures

Three and a half years after the first spirit flowed from the stills at Spirit of Yorkshire distillery in the coastal village of Hunmanby, the county's first single malt whisky was launched, after maturing in bourbon and sherry barrels. Inspired by the bay that is in sight of the distillery, Filey Bay Single Malt Whisky 46%abv has been hailed as an exciting addition to both the English and world whisky categories.

As the moment the maturing malt officially became whisky approached, I was invited to get my hands on a pair of stills and help make spirit.

This fully hands-on and immersive experience offers an in-depth look at the making of the unique spirit and is the ultimate gift for serious whisky enthusiasts or anyone looking for a deeper understanding of whisky production. And it’s great fun as you get to do all the best bits.

We presented ourselves for duty at 8am and after a safety chat we watched a beautifully shot and very short film about this true grain to glass enterprise. It is the only distillery operating in the UK that grows all its own barley for its whisky production. The wash is mashed and fermented with the barley, malted nearby, and its own spring water at the sister company’s Wold Top Brewery at the farm just down the road.

We also heard why the gannet is the talisman, a fearless, precise, graceful and purposeful bird, which like the company has prospered for many years. Nearby Bempton Cliffs is home to the largest gannet colony on the UK mainland.

We were chomping at the bit to make some spirit with whisky director Joe Clark. In the distillery the two Forsyth pot stills were gleaming in their coppery splendour. It was a thrill to turn the small wheel to fire up one of the stills. Vapour began drifting up from the vents, wreathing us in an atmospheric fug.

As the still heats up, the low wines are created and we learned how to isolate the best flavours that are only found in the heart of the spirit run (the middle cut), from a batch made previously. The spirit still has the option of running spirit vapours through a four- plate column leading back to the pot – stop me if I am being to technical.

It was time for breakfast at the fabulous Pot Still Coffee Shop on site – the full Yorkshire came with eggs, meat and tomatoes from Wolds farms. The café also makes tremendous cakes.

More fun awaited as we got to fill a cask with 63.5% abv spirit. Ex-bourbon or sherry casks are placed on giant scales and you fill up with a trigger and hose, just like filling up your car with fuel. Next you take a big mallet and bash in the bung (I’m being technical again).

Each cask is sprayed with white paint through a stencil with the gannet symbol, the Spirit of Yorkshire name and the cask number – it is tricky to line up those numbers in a straight line.

It was time for nosing and tasting. We appreciated the differing notes and styles between ages, casks and the spirit still/column configuration. It's a complex and hugely enjoyable task. Early releases are already a huge hit with connoisseurs and fans and Spirit of Yorkshire has sold many casks, as well as early bottled expressions.

You can complete the Distilling Experience day with a visit to the brewery set amongst the fields of barley, literally on the top of the Wolds.

Spirit of Yorkshire was launched in 2016 and is a collaboration between farmer and brewer, Tom Mellor from Wold Top Brewery and business partner, David Thompson. The pair have invested significantly to follow their dream of creating a Yorkshire whisky that doesn't simply replicate Scotch.

The team is also celebrating after winning a prestigious whisky award for its Maturing Malt DP003, which was awarded 95 out of 100 by world renowned whisky expert Jim Murray in the 2020 Whisky Bible. Murray described the spirit, which was just 18 months old at the time of bottling, as “just ridiculously beautiful” and referred to Spirit of Yorkshire as an “outstanding new distillery” in the 17th edition of the world's leading whisky guide that reviewed 4,700 whiskies from over 30 countries.

The matured whisky - Filey Bay First Release is limited to 6,000 70cl bottles that retail for £55. Distilling Experience Days run on the first Monday of the month, cost £250 and are limited to four people each session. Call 01723 891758 or email: info@spiritofyorkshire.com

spiritofyorkshire.com