EIGHTEEN years ago, Andrew Nelstrop and his father James had a novel idea for diversification on their 1,100-acre arable farm in Norfolk. They decided to make whisky – specifically the finest single malt – and as far as they were concerned this was completely doable. They grew excellent barley on their farm, they had two maltsters down the road and they had a fresh supply of water from the River Thet. They persuaded a distiller from Laphroaig to help get them going and began production in December 2006 as the English Whisky Company.
When the Nelstrops started out, they were the first and only registered whisky distillery to make the spirit on English soil for more than 120 years. At that time English whisky was little more than an interesting novelty, not expected to have an impact worldwide. Today there are 44 makers in England either making whisky, in the planning stages or building a distillery, and they span the country from Cornwall to North-umberland. Not only that, they are winning awards and gaining a respected presence on the international
