Cotswolds Distillery releases highly-anticipated Single Malt Whisky

The award-winning distillery, the first ever in the Cotswolds ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’, will launch their ‘Inaugural Release’ limited edition in the first week of October. Comprised of just 4000 bottles, the public allocation sold out through pre-sales last year.

Production of the single malt began in September 2014 at the site in the North Cotswolds under the guidance of renowned industry expert, the late Dr Jim Swan, whose work with ‘new world whisky’ distilleries has brought whiskies such as Kavalan, Amrut and Milk & Honey to global attention.

The distillery (whose Cotswolds Dry Gin was voted ‘Best London Dry Gin’ at the 2016 World Gin Awards) has received growing attention following praise from industry specialist Jim Murray, who awarded the young previews of the spirit 94/100 and a ‘Liquid Gold’ award in both the 2016 and 2017 editions of his annual Whisky Bible.

Rich and fruity in style, the Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky has been matured in a combination of first-fill ex-Bourbon barrels and specially shaved, toasted and re-charred red wine casks, resulting in a striking depth and balance in such a young expression.

The provenance of the raw ingredients is highly important to the distillery, who have unusually committed to using only Cotswolds-grown, floor-malted barley in all their single malt whiskies. And in a move that chimes in with the growing (but controversial) transparency movement in the whisky industry, the barley variety and local farm it was grown on will be listed on each bottle, with detailed production data for each release given on the distillery’s website.

Daniel Szor, founder and CEO, Cotswolds Distillery commented: “Our Single Malt is the culmination of years of hard work, combining over five decades of ‘grain to glass’ production knowledge from internationally-renowned experts with the region’s best-in-class ingredients. We’ve managed to produce something truly remarkable, and we couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved.”  

Tasting Notes: On the nose, honey and butterscotch, layered with light fruits (peaches, apricots) and a hint of marzipan. The palate is rich with malt, oils and dark sugar. Spice and caramelised bitter orange lead into a long, resinous finish with dark red fruits and a hint of treacle.

The non-chill filtered whisky is bottled at 46% ABV and is available at an RRP £44.95 for 70cl.  For more details on the distillery and its Single Malt Whisky, visit www.cotswoldsdistillery.com

NOTES: 

• The Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky launches at Whisky Live Paris (23-25 September) and the Whisky Show London (30 September – 2 October). Small allocations are available to sample at these shows, but the majority of bottles from the inaugural release were made available for pre-sale when production began, and sold out in 2016.
• Bottled at 46% abv | non-chill filtered | natural colour | 70cl | RRP £44.95.
• Subsequent releases of Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky will be on sale from November 2017, available to purchase directly from the distillery, and in retail across the world.
• Prestigious accolades for the Cotswolds Dry Gin include ‘Best London Dry’ at the World Gin Awards 2016 and a Gold-Outstanding award at IWSC 2017. Difford’s Guide recently ranked the Gin as one of the top 20 Gins available in a survey of 450 brands.
• Cotswolds Dry Gin is on sale nationally and in over 23 countries.  Key national accounts include Waitrose, Majestic, Oddbins, Laithwaites, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, and Fortnum & Mason. Difford’s Guide recently ranked the Gin as one of the top 20 Gins available in a survey of 450 brands, and it won ‘Best London Dry Gin’ at the World Gin Awards 2016.
• The distillery has become a premier local attraction, offering tours and tastings daily, and receives nearly 30,000 visitors a year.  It represents an investment of nearly £7 million by the founder, backed by a group of passionate local investors, as well as its highly successful ‘Angels’ Share’ crowdfunding round in 2016.