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Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky worth the wait!
Award-winning whisky now available in Waitrose & Partners stores nationwide
Cotswolds Distillery has secured a nation-wide listing in Waitrose & Partners for their its whisky, which was released in October 2017. Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky has already accumulated an impressive nine medals and awards in its first year on the market, and this is its first substantial national listing.
The whisky will be available at the majority of Waitrose & Partners stores across the UK and at waitrose.com at an RRP of £45. Described as a rich and fruity single malt, it has been aged in a combination of first-fill ex-Bourbon casks and specially shaved, toasted and re-charred red wine barriques.
The distillery began production of its whisky and gin in 2014 at its small site in Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour. The original business plan was for small-scale production to sell locally but the gin soon won awards and listings in the UK and abroad, and the small company has grown rapidly ever since.
Dan Szor, founder and CEO of Cotswolds Distillery, said “We are delighted that Waitrose & Partners has chosen to list Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky so widely – it’s a wonderful statement of belief in both our distillery and in the wider ‘world whisky’ category. We are passionate about showing consumers that small distilleries like ours, outside the traditional whisky heartlands, are committed to a production ethos that champions the highest quality local ingredients and distilling methods that are driven by quality over cost. It’s painstaking work but we feel we’re really raising the bar, so we’re very proud to show off the incredible results you can achieve, even as a brand-new distillery.”
The whisky, which recently took Gold at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition and two stars at the Great Taste Awards, has benefitted from a number of production techniques often considered too costly or inefficient in the wider whisky industry. In particular, the distillery is committed to using only barley grown on local farms in the Cotswolds, and each bottle lists the barley variety, harvest year and farm it was grown on.
The listing of the Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky coincides with an expansion of Waitrose & Partners’ listing of the distillery’s award-winning Cotswolds Dry Gin. The gin was first listed as part of the retailer’s regional producers scheme, and has been available at 10 stores in and around the Cotswolds area since July 2017 (RRP £37). Having enjoyed considerable success in the initial listing, the gin will now be rolled out to stores across the country and on waitrose.com.
Featuring lavender grown locally to the distillery, the gin was named Best London Dry in the World Gin Awards 2016 and secured the top Gold Outstanding medal in the IWSC the following year. As with the Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky, it is bottled non-chill filtered at 46% ABV, to preserve the richest flavours and mouthfeel. The unfiltered essential oils from the botanicals (including hand peeled fresh pink grapefruit zest) result in the gin’s signature pearlescent cloudiness that forms when ice or tonic are added.
For more information, please visit www.cotswoldsdistillery.com.
Notes to Editors
The Cotswolds Distillery:
Located in Stourton, Shipston-on-Stour, the distillery has become a premier local attraction, offering tours and tastings daily, and now receives 30,000 visitors a year.
Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky was launched in October 2017. Each bottle lists the barley variety, harvest year and local Cotswolds farm it was grown on. It recently won Gold at the New York World Wine & Spirits Competition and took 2 stars (one of only two whiskies to do so) in the 2018 Great Taste Awards.
Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky is available nationally and in 12 countries across the world. Key UK retailers include Majestic Wine, The Whisky Exchange and Laithwaites.
The distillery also produces Cotswolds Dry Gin, which was named Best London Dry at the 2016 World Gin Awards and received the top Gold Outstanding award in the 2017 International Wine and Spirits Competition. 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 & Partners, Majestic, Oddbins, Laithwaites, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges, and Fortnum & Mason.
For more information, please visit www.cotswoldsdistillery.com
