Cotswolds Distillery

Introduction

Welcome to Whiskey Lore's Whiskey Flights, your weekly home for discovering great craft distillery experiences around the globe. I’m your travel guide, Drew Hannush, best-selling author of Experiencing Irish Whiskey and Experiencing Kentucky Bourbon, and today, we’re heading to the beautiful Cotswolds region in England, home to one of England's most tourist friendly distilleries.

Arrival Phase

As I planned for the bus ride from the Parks District and White Peak Distillery to the Cotswolds, I realized there was no easy way to get around by public transportation. In fact, the whole plan got to be quite a mess. Take this bus to that train, and another train to another bus and then another bus. So instead, knowing I was heading to Dublin after the Cotswolds, I decided the best plan was to take the Cross Country rail from Derby to Birmingham, where I could get a car hire for the day and travel down to the Cotswolds with ease.

And as I take the scenic route, coming off of M40 at Exit 16, past the birthplace of William Shakespeare, let's take a moment to get to know a little bit more about the area we’re now visiting.

The Cotswolds

The Cotswolds, often described as one of the most beautiful regions in England, is a haven of rolling hills, charming villages, and historical landmarks. This area stretches across five very English sounding counties: Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire. Designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswolds is renowned for its honey-colored limestone villages, historic market towns, and stunning landscapes.

The history of the Cotswolds dates back to Roman times, with many ancient sites and structures still visible today. The area flourished during the medieval period thanks to the wool trade, which brought great wealth and led to the construction of beautiful manor houses and churches.

Visitors can explore the picturesque village of Bourton-on-the-Water, often called the "Venice of the Cotswolds" for its charming bridges over the River Windrush. Another must-see is the ancient town of Cirencester, which boasts a rich Roman heritage and a bustling market square.

And, of course, Stratford-upon-Avon, located in Warwickshire, is the birthplace of William Shakespeare and attracts visitors worldwide to its well-preserved Tudor architecture and historical sites related to the Bard. The town offers a rich cultural experience with attractions like the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, and the Bard’s birthplace and museum. The town also features picturesque riverside scenery along the River Avon and a vibrant town center with shops, restaurants, and cafes.

25 million annual tourists can’t be wrong. There is something special about this place they call the Cotswolds.

Distillery Arrival

And, as a friend, Brian told me, a lot of businesses in this region trade on that name “Cotswolds.” Including the distillery, whose parking lot we’re now entering. It’s good to have reservations for the tours at the Cotswolds Distillery, it’s a popular place. And parking spaces may be at a premium, as the distillery’s cafe—much like Bardstown Bourbon Company in Bardstown, Kentucky, draws a lot of locals in for lunch. 

Interview Intro

Today, I’ll be meeting with Rob Patchett, the global Whisky Brand Ambassador for Cotswolds Distillery. For two and a half decades, he has made a career out of the drinks industry in places like Italy, France, and Switzerland. He’s worked in the wine industry as a sommelier (SOME ole-yay) and extensively managed pubs and high-profile restaurants. He’s also been on the merchandising side. This marks his seventh year at the Cotswolds.

The distillery he promotes has become the largest in England. And while its output hasn't quite got to the point of challenging some of their larger northern neighbors, they are growing quickly and building something quite impressive here. And to help us get our footing, I first wanted to ask Rob about the origins of the distillery, and its connection to a New Yorker.

The Interview

Drew Hannush (00:01.523)
So to kind of start off, let's talk about the origins of the Cotswold Distillery and its founder, because we kind of go into a story that's unusual maybe for what we would think would be the start of an English distillery with a New Yorker. So can you kind of give us a little background on

Rob Patchett (00:23.479)
Yeah, absolutely. So we are founded by an individual, a single man called Dan, Dan Jor, who grew up in Manhattan. And he moved over to Europe. So started in France about 25 years ago. And then after a stint in Paris, he moved over to London. But whilst he was in Paris, that's where he really found his groove with regards to a love of whiskey.

traveling around distilleries in Scotland, going to wineries in France, going to distilleries in the Paydorge, visiting various Calvados houses. It really was that love of, you know, the exploration, the exploration of flavor, small producers, and building on that, going to Brookladdy on the West Coast of Scotland, where Dan met with Jim McEwan, the whole team there. He actually bought a cask there as well.

And that really sparked a curiosity of what, what it would look like if you took the method of what Brooklyn, which is people, place and provenance. So sourcing local Bali, working with local farmers, experimentation with different styles of casks and that style of production, but maybe do it closer to home where he was. And at that point he had moved to London and had a little farmhouse in the Cotswolds where he was visiting every weekend. so, you know,

cut very short question with a long answer sorry about that to cut yeah to make all of that a little bit more brief dan lived in the cotswolds which is an agricultural area and he saw the capabilities of what could be done there with regards to barley grown on our doorstep and then making whiskey from said barley

Drew Hannush (01:52.627)
That's

Drew Hannush (02:07.869)
So describe the Cotswolds to somebody who doesn't really know, because we've heard the names, I've heard the name before, but can't really picture it. And so it'd be interesting to get a vision of the Cotswolds into people's minds.

Rob Patchett (02:22.975)
Yeah, so the Cotswolds, you can do it in a couple of ways. I've heard Dan before say that it's very much like Vermont in upstate New York. That's a good way of equating it. But from our perspective, it's an area that spans from the middle of England, just south of Birmingham, down to Oxford and over to Bristol and Bath. So it's kind of like a triangle in the mid to southwest of England. It's predominantly agricultural. So what you'll find there is a

of barley fields, wheat fields, maize fields, lot of sheep, a of cows. But then it's also like going back in time. All of the villages are made up of this wonderful sort of Cotswold stone, limestone style buildings, all cultivated maybe two, 300 years ago. And so it's really, it's just picturesque rolling hills, barley fields everywhere, lots and lots of agriculture, tiny villages.

market towns that you can visit. I mean, I think that the Las Vegas were about 35 million people visit the Cotswolds annually.

Drew Hannush (03:28.019)
Yeah, quintessentially English it sounds.

Rob Patchett (03:29.129)
It's huge. It's as quintessential English as you get. That's a perfect way to put it. Yeah, absolutely. And it's an AONB. It's an area of outstanding natural beauty.

Drew Hannush (03:41.097)
So if somebody is wanting to plan a trip like me, and I am not really a huge fan of a ton of tourists around, is there a good time of the year that it's a little quieter there? Kind of the little insider information on

Rob Patchett (03:56.311)
Yeah, I would say that either May or September are great times. The weather's still good. Things are coming out in bloom or things are still in bloom. You find that things are a little bit calmer and you can really get to grips with some of the beautiful parts of the Cotswolds. We're always set up 12 months a year, 364 days because we close on Christmas Day. So we're ready to host people as well. But May is, I mean, Dan even says it himself, May, June time. It's the best time to be in the Cotswolds.

really

Drew Hannush (04:26.217)
Hmm. Very nice. So let's talk about the distillery. And usually I like to kind of get into what you're making and all of that. But first, the thing that jumps off the page about you guys is the visitors experience. You're winning awards for the visitors experience. You're even beating distilleries in Ireland and Scotland on visitors experience, which is pretty impressive.

What is it? What is that secret sauce that you think is drawing people in and really giving them that that great experience?

Rob Patchett (05:04.003)
First and foremost, was about, there were three things that Dan wanted when he started the distillery. He wanted to make a whiskey he would drink, but he wanted to make a whiskey distillery that he would want to visit. So we didn't have, we didn't build experiences and we didn't build the hospitality that we have at the distillery as an afterthought. It really was as part of the concept of starting the distillery, you know.

We started out with two very, very small buildings in the front building. The downstairs had a tiny little video room, a tiny little shop and a little tasting room. But you know, one tour turned into two tours a weekend and then two tours a day on the Saturday and Sunday. And then it just progressed to the point where we didn't quite take into consideration how busy we would be so quickly. So when we were able to build a larger visitor's center in 2018.

It really was, it was crucial that we made that the best it could be for the visitor experience.

Drew Hannush (06:02.035)
Mm -hmm. So when you first drive into the Cotswolds, there is a cottage there. that, was that the original experience?

Rob Patchett (06:12.299)
Yeah, that first, so basically two buildings, the little cottage is where the first experience visitor center was. and then the second one being the main distillery, in between the two was a small garden. we've built over the top and now we have a huge shop, a tasting room, a video room, two mezzanines where we can do whiskey and gin blending classes or cocktail master classes. We have a cafe and actually we've just changed the entrance to the distillery.

driveway at the beginning is now completely used for outdoor seating and outdoor dining and then we've built a huge terrace as well. what it was 10 years ago with regards to a tiny little cottage for experiences, it's now somewhere where we really can, I mean we recently had our 10th birthday party and we had over 1200 people at the distillery and that was more than comfortable.

Drew Hannush (07:05.145)
Yeah. What is, if somebody had come to your distillery three years ago versus now, and when we talk about growth and they did the tour, you actually now have two distilleries. it looks.

Rob Patchett (07:19.317)
Yeah. Yeah. So three years ago, they would have been walking around our old distillery and looking at our tiny little whiskey stills, Mary and Janice, and they would have seen our gin stills, Lorelei and Dolly. And then they would have headed head off to the barrel warehouse. But now that we've been able to quadruple our capacity, so we built a brand new building, worked with the wonderful Forsyth team to install two brand new copper pot stills. And yeah, so we've we've been distilling on them just under two years now. And

Yeah, it's incredible to see, but it's great because we take people to the old distillery, they see all of our old setup, and then we walk to the new distillery where we've got rising shutters. And so it's like a slow reveal to show people the size and the magnitude of new stills. So it's quite theatrical as well. It's great.

Drew Hannush (08:07.281)
Nice. Well, so what are you doing with the old stills that you were making whiskey in? Are they still making whiskey or have you shifted them to something

Rob Patchett (08:16.183)
So last year we shifted over and did a little bit of research and development making Jamaican style high ester rum. And we spent a year doing that and we made about 130 casks worth of rum, which was great. I think if you ask us in a few years what we do with it, we'll see. But it was great to do that one year of experimentation. But we really wanted this year to reign it back, concentrate on making whiskey in the new distillery. So in answer to your question.

Right now those stills are sat dormant.

Drew Hannush (08:47.212)
okay. All right. Well, you, I had read that you also were making rye whiskey at one point. Would you have been making rye whiskey on those or the bigger ones?

Rob Patchett (08:56.575)
Now we made rye whiskey, we made about six barrels in total. We had no idea what we were doing. We made that actually on the column element of our Holstein still. So we didn't even use the whiskey stills. We worked in conjunction with a local brewery. So they did the rye mash. So they took the heartache out of the actual production. So they made the mash for us. And then we were able to, we were able to make that on our stills. And then Dan actually called Dave over at Makersmark and said,

Drew Hannush (09:13.023)
Yeah.

Rob Patchett (09:24.887)
We've never actually made rye whiskey, so is there any chance that you can give us a few pointers so we've got a live tutorial on how to make rye whiskey as we were going. But we're just about to release the first bottle. Two runs only equated to less than a 200 -liter barrel, so we've got 80 bottles in total to sell. So we're starting a ballot for that because it's amazing liquid. It really is amazing liquid, but we just don't.

have the capacity to do a huge release of

Drew Hannush (09:57.465)
Okay. So probably, get it now. Cause it's, it may not come

Rob Patchett (10:03.1)
I think today the ballot for the bottles goes up so just sign on to the ballot with as many email accounts as you can so that you stand a chance of getting

Drew Hannush (10:11.529)
Wow.

Rob Patchett (10:13.163)
So I imagine actually by the time people hear this, it's probably done and dusted. So I apologize for that.

Drew Hannush (10:16.829)
It's already gone. Very good. so talk a little bit about, where you guys are getting your grain from is, cause if you were inspired by it originally to get it locally, is that, is that how you're sourcing your whiskey now?

Rob Patchett (10:35.08)
Yeah, yeah, it's even to this day. So we've always been committed to using independent farmers in the Cotswolds. We've used three different sources. And for the last seven years, we've been using one single independent farm. It's based just near Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. And it's Akeman Street Farm. It's run by a father and son duo, Michael and Philip. They've had that farm.

since 1878 when they got it from the Duke of Wellington, Duke of Marlborough, sorry. And they've been farming, they've been farming organically, but they don't do it to a certified level. And yeah, we've been getting barley from them consistently for seven years now. And the yields have been perfect. The outcome, the consistency, it's been absolutely fantastic. So one single independent farm in the Cotswolds. And the only time we've been...

not outside the Cotswolds but away from those farms is when we were able to source some heirloom grain plumage archer barley and that was from Highgrove Manor and His Royal Highness's estate so we've made some whiskey with His Royal Highness as

Drew Hannush (11:40.393)
Wow, okay. And when we're talking about, you know, when we're talking about your distillery and how it all started, was it really focused mostly on whiskey or because gin has really taken off and it seems like gin may actually be as big or bigger than what you're doing with whiskey?

Rob Patchett (12:05.271)
It depends who you speak to. mean, we always started out as a whiskey distillery. We will always be a whiskey distillery. Dan always jokes that we bought the gin still with the last of the money we didn't have. And the idea was to make a thousand bottles a year. So crank up the gin still every maybe once a month and just sell that in our local shop. Maybe have it in a few shops in the local area, a few pubs and bars. And then when we had whiskey arrive in 2017, we wouldn't make any more gin.

Needless to say that gin boom wasn't part of the business plan, but it happened and we were in Majestic, Harvey Nicks, we were in Harrods and we were in Selfridges, are in Fortnum and Mason more importantly. We were in all of these huge prestigious retailers in central London within three or four months of starting the gin, which meant that more often than not, we've played catch up to the gin market more than we've been ahead of it. So we're now making a thousand bottles a day as opposed

Drew Hannush (13:03.292)
Wow.

Rob Patchett (13:04.311)
thousand bottles a year but the whiskey is still holding strong we've now got more or less give or take a few percentages at 50 -50 split and whilst gin is hugely popular whiskey will we think in the next two years succeed our gin output but also our gin revenue as well by quite a

Drew Hannush (13:25.273)
Okay. Yeah. When you're making your gin, you know, there is this idea and I get a sense from the way that, you guys have developed this distillery, the idea of trying to bring in local flavor. are there certain botanicals that really are kind of part of the Cotswold

Rob Patchett (13:49.159)
Yeah. I mean, I always, I always say whenever I do any of my presentations, you know, we nod to the Cotswolds with our gin because you need really hot climates to be able to cultivate things like, like juniper or your citrus element. use grapefruit and lime. And so we use a local lavender from Snow's Hill, which is just near Broadway. And that kind of gives it a nice little delicate florality to it. And that is our nod to the Cotswolds within the gin.

Because, yeah, like I say, we don't have the climate to be able to grow and source sustainably any other botanicals. So I would say we nod to the Cotswolds with our lavender and our gin, but our whiskey is truly 100 % a product of the Cotswolds.

Drew Hannush (14:35.867)
It interests me to know how a distillery handles when they're making a lot of whiskey, but they're also making a lot of gin and gin fans aren't always whiskey fans and whiskey fans aren't always gin fans. So, you know, how do you handle that during the tastings?

Rob Patchett (14:52.983)
Yeah, I mean, we don't take it as a challenge, but we're not trying to convert gin fans into whiskey fans and vice versa. So we do try and speak to both consumers because not to put demographics or genders on it or anything of that nature, but you do find that there is a certain person that is like, I only like gin. And there's a certain person that says, I only like whiskey. We do have products that bridge the two.

So we do try and make our tastings as fair and as even as possible so you can enjoy the full gin experience. You've got to sit through the whiskey. And then, you know, we've got eight gins that you can taste through at the visitor center and then vice versa as well. You know, you've got to sit through a little bit of gin, but we will get to the whiskey and you can then taste up to 12 different whiskies as well. So we like to think that we've got something for everyone, even down to if you don't like gin or whiskey.

We've got rum, we make liqueurs, and if you don't drink, we've got a cafe that has award -winning coffee in it as well. we don't exclude.

Drew Hannush (15:53.235)
Hmm. Yeah. Well, that's nice to have that many options. you, you also do a cream

Rob Patchett (16:01.109)
Yeah, that's right. The cream liqueur, is, it's got quite the cult following because it is just so more ishing, just lovely and rich and unctuous. It's wonderful.

Drew Hannush (16:10.144)
And what is Cotswold, you'll have to say it, Cotswold a dose?

Rob Patchett (16:13.783)
Codswalvidos officially technically never happened but did. It was again looking to try and cultivate spirits from an area of outstanding natural beauty and we worked with Pearson Cider, which is a local cider farm just down the road in Morton and Marsh. And we were able to cultivate some of their cider, their peri and well, there was no peri in it, it was all apples, but we made an apple

And we did it in the style working with Emmanuel, Emmanuel Camus to make a very true to true to nature, Calvados or Apple brandy. And we thought we'd be a bit playful with the name and call it Cotswalvados as opposed to Calvados. Yeah, it turns out that that's not a popular choice if you present that to the, to the people of the pay doors, the commission that actually managed the Appalachian and everything. So we were told that we couldn't.

publicly sell that so we don't have that available anymore, we did make an apple brandy using Cotswold's apples and we called it Cotswold Vidos.

Drew Hannush (17:19.739)
Nice. So experimentation seems like it's part of, especially in the earlier years, but do you still feel like where does your experimentation really kind of take place nowadays?

Rob Patchett (17:32.193)
So nowadays it's more or less all in the whiskey because we have lots of aged stocks in various casks that offer so many different flavors. we have different ages, different wood types, different seasonings. And so we really can play and lean into our whiskey credentials a lot more with NPD. But yeah, when we were waiting for the whiskey to age and we had nothing, we had a couple of, we

In the first building, had an NPD lab and then we built one in the bottling above the bottling hall. And I mean, Alice, who took over the NPD lab, I think 2019, she developed nearly 15 different new products in a space of two years in that NPD lab. Yeah. Yeah. Well, pandemic was all about just keeping things interesting, right? We're all sat at home with not a lot to do. So we,

We made various Spritz styles, gins and Amaro's and Vermouth's, RTD, pre -made cocktails. You name it, we made it. And now we're kind of like, okay, we need to pump the brakes because NPD is all around the whiskey now.

Drew Hannush (18:42.707)
Yeah. In terms of aging whiskey these days, the growth of the distilling business across the globe has been pretty intense and it is drained the barrel supply a bit. I have noticed that a lot of distilleries are starting to move into using STR barrels. And so I talked through kind of a little bit because I hear STR and I go, okay, what is

I know a lot of people will be asking that question and how do you incorporate that into your whiskey aging?

Rob Patchett (19:20.171)
Yeah, I the STR cask is essentially an American oak barrel that has been used at a winery. Usually you'll find that in certain areas, especially in Spain, Iberian styles of wine, so Spain and Portuguese wines, they will use American oak. The quality of the oak, the seasoning of the oak is of such a high quality, know, they may season it outside for up to a year before they use it. It's got quite a tight grain, so you don't pull as much tannin from it.

which means that for wineries it's ideal. For whiskey, there's two reasons why it's ideal. Number one, wine barrels are everywhere and they can be a little inconsistent in whiskey, so there's just so much to choose from. And then by using the STR process, STR stands for shaved, toasting and recharging. So by shaving out the interior of the barrel to get rid of that live wine residue,

which can sometimes cause sulfuric reactions if you aid spirits in there. By shaving that out, but leaving maybe three or four millimeters of wine in the grain of the wood, which can sometimes account to nearly five or six liters, you leave that in, you've shaved out the interior, with a brazier, you would lightly toast the interior to caramelize and toast the interior of the barrel. So you're a nice layer of caramelized sugar from the American oak and the wine.

and then heavily charring it or recharring it really, the R is rechar, you seal all of that in and the charring is, know, it's a natural defense mechanism of wood. And so it just seals everything in, retaining all of the natural sugars that we've done through the toasting. And basically all this means is that when you add a spirit, the spirit can penetrate deeper than the wine. So it will get all of the beautiful American oak flavors, that honey, that toffee, the lignans, the sweetness.

There's a layer of red wine that won't give you any inefficiencies with regards to flavor. You've got a layer of caramelized sugar that will add a natural sweetness from the wood and the wine. And then you've got a char level that will allow for a filtration and imparting loads and loads of natural color. And this can happen in such a short amount of time that your pursuit of building flavor and color and all of these wonderful things within whiskey can happen at such a rate.

Rob Patchett (21:40.059)
Any climate can work with an STR cask in any age of distillery. So it really gives versatility to this world whiskey movement of if you want to age whiskey in Taiwan or China or Australia, North America, the UK, this cask gives you that control and that versatility with consistency. And you're calling on a wine, you're calling on the wine world, which doesn't sell a lot of its barrels on.

because usually they can't. So you've got something that's quite cost effective as well.

Drew Hannush (22:12.892)
Mm -hmm. So the Noon Make spirit that you're putting into these barrels, what kind of a personality were you driving towards for that? And what kind of flavor profile would we kind of expect out of

Rob Patchett (22:29.375)
Yeah, I mean, we worked with Dr. Jim Swan to create our flavor profile. And luckily, Jim Swan also created the Red Wine STR cask. So when we were creating our distillery profile, he'd created a spirit that through a long fermentation on two yeast strains and a really high cut point, you'd have something that almost tastes like an Eau de Vite, a fruit brandy, if you will, when it comes off the stills.

Drew Hannush (22:33.78)
Mm.

Rob Patchett (22:57.281)
so that when you add it to the casks, you already have a flavor profile established in the spirit, which meant that that STR barrel would then just amplify a fruit profile. So we'd get loads of stone fruits, apples, and then we'd get richness from the cask as well. So it just turned into a fruit bomb, all based on the fact that we've preloaded flavor with smart cut points and long fermentation on the spirit. And then we've got a really extractive.

active style of cask in the STR that just amplifies it even further. from a very, very young age, our spirit is full of beautiful fruit and soft aromas, a big, ointuous palate, but then it carries loads and loads of those fruit flavors as well. So the two work hand in hand to the point where I'd say that about 40 % of our filling is in red wine STR.

Drew Hannush (23:46.697)
Very nice. So when somebody is coming to visit, and they are going through your shop, do you have, do you provide distillery exclusives and that sort of thing? Some of those experiments that we talked about as

Rob Patchett (24:00.823)
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, that's, that's adding the value to the experience of coming to the distillery, right? It's finding things that you can't find elsewhere. So we have our core range. we have signature, which is our champion. 70 % of that is actually red wine STR. And then we have a cask strength range of bourbon, sherry, Founder's Choice, which is a hundred percent red wine STR and peated cask. But then we do two seasonals in spring. We work with William Morris and we do

Parts and Crafts whiskey, is usually whiskey that's been aged in quite an esoteric style of flavoring. usually French oak and we've done so far Sauternes, Pinot de Chiron, Bagnoles, Rum. So quite obscure styles of seasoning on French oak. And that's just an expression that is evolving every single year. the outer tube is designed with William Morris print. It's stunning. And that's always a distillery exclusive.

But then in the harvest time, we work with local Cotswolds artists. We'll take a painting from them, give it to our whisky maker, Alice, and she's able to create a blend out of the different casks that we have in our portfolio to create a flavor that best represents that painting. So it not only tells the story of our whisky, how it ties into the landscape of the Cotswolds and the artistry of the Cotswolds, but also tells a story of Alice on her journey of blending.

Drew Hannush (25:16.617)
Mm -hmm.

Rob Patchett (25:28.225)
building flavor and her creativity as well. those two along with some single casks and then also we have a fill your own option at the distillery as well. So you can fill your own bottle of whiskey and that's always something super special as

Drew Hannush (25:42.547)
Well, it's nice having a cafe attached there as well. How does that integrate with the tours? Best to maybe get a bite of lunch before you go on the tour? Or is there a benefit to doing it afterwards?

Rob Patchett (25:54.111)
What I would say is come and have lunch beforehand so you've got a good base so you can taste through lots of cool stuff and then maybe grab a whiskey and something sweet afterwards as well so you can just sit on the terrace and then breathe in the Cotswolds landscape. We also do driver's rams so if you are on the tour and you're driving we give you a little takeaway bag of anything that you want to taste as well.

Drew Hannush (26:16.787)
Fantastic. If somebody's coming to the area and they want to pair something else non -whiskey related with this trip to the distillery, what would you suggest somebody check

Rob Patchett (26:27.983)
Obviously Hooknorton, the local brewery, that's one of the oldest breweries in England. They still use Shire Horses to deliver their beer. That's a wonderful spot. Obviously Blenheim Palace where we source our barley. That's an incredible space to go and explore. And then you've got all the cute little market towns as well. So if you drive down a road called the Fossway, which is kind of like the spine of the Cotswolds, you can go to Stow -on -the -Wald, can go to Boughton -on -the -Water.

You can go to Burford, all of these wonderful little Cotswolds towns. And personally, if you're into walking, go on footpath maps, source yourself a little route and just go for a really long walk because you will not be disappointed with the views that you see. Stunning.

Drew Hannush (27:15.431)
we talk about it being quintessentially English. It seems like a perfect start to any journey of distilleries in England would be best served by being started at Cotswolds and then make your way out. Would you agree with that?

Rob Patchett (27:33.527)
Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Starting the Cotswolds and maybe finish as well. Cause then you can, I mean, we're only 90 minutes from London. So we do find that a lot of people will come to the Cotswolds to escape London, but it's a great base. It's a good place to start. You've got Stratford upon Avon 20 minutes away. So you can go and see Shakespeare's birthplace and then Warwick, Warwick castle, the medieval castle there, loads of stately homes like Hidcote Manor, Compton Verney.

The National Trust has got lots and lots of things going on in the area as well. So I really think that if you start in the Cotswolds, you don't need to go too far and you can get a lot

Drew Hannush (28:15.219)
Beautiful. Well, thank you, Rob. Thank you for introducing us to the distillery. The spirits, people will probably start seeing them more and more on their shelves and telling us about the experience there because as I say, it seems like the perfect place to start out an English distillery journey.

Rob Patchett (28:33.463)
Drew, thank you so much. I couldn't agree more. Come and visit us. We'll take good care of you, I promise. Thank you.

Drew Hannush (28:38.751)
Cheers.

Okay,

Closing Details

I hope you enjoyed this virtual flight to the Cotswolds Distillery. If I piqued your interest in traveling to the distillery, make sure to head to whiskey-lore.com/flights where you can view the profile of the Cotswolds Distillery and the growing list of worldwide distilleries we’re featuring on the show. Then, dig deeper into the Whiskey Lore online distillery travel guide, use the heart feature to show other fans which distilleries you are interested in, or log in with a free membership and bookmark your favorite distilleries to add them to your wish list. The site features planning tools, maps, tour dates, and booking links for over 300 distilleries worldwide. Start your journey at whiskey-lore.com/flights.

Teaser

Now, stay tuned because, in just a moment, I’ll have some closing travel tips if you plan on visiting the Cotswolds Distillery. But first, it’s time for This Week in Whiskey Lore.

This Week in Whiskey Lore

Four years ago this week, the Brown-Forman Corporation announced the completion of the sale of three brands, including Early Times, Canadian Mist and the Collingswood Canadian whiskey to Sazerac on July 31st, 2020. According to the company, this was part of a continued evolution of their portfolio into premium brands.

Early Times, what a whiskey that saw its birth in 1866 thanks to the vision of Jack Beam, a member of the famous Beam distilling family. A fan of traditional distilling, he built a small tub, sour mash distillery, using copper pot stills over an open flame like his ancestors. But he had no idea of the challenges he would face.

After the war, the Federal government’s new excise tax law would attempt to curb cheating by distillers by creating a closed system. Open tubs and long fermentation times, a staple of old time sour mash distillers, would be outlawed. It would take several years before the rules would be relaxed so Jack could make whisky close the way he wanted to.

Early Times survived and thrived under Jack Beam's guidance and at the turn of the century, as most of Kentucky’s distillers sold out to the Whiskey Trust conglomerate, Jack Beam would be one of the few to remain independent. He held the company until his death in May of 1915. And if not for the onset of Prohibition, things looked to continue on successfully under the company's president John Shaunty.

But one January morning, John took his pet dog out in the rain for a morning walk, caught a cold, and died, leaving the company’s future in limbo.

But then, another distilling company, one that had also held out against the Whiskey Trust came knocking. In 1923, Brown-Forman acquired Early Times - and with the close of Prohibition in 1933, Early Times resumed its life as a 100-proof Bourbon.

But with the onset of the Bourbon depression of the 70's and 80's the brand was relegated to the bottom shelf as a 80 proof whiskey aged in used barrels. Eventually a bottled-in-bond version would return, but it was still relegated to the bottom shelf. Yet, astute Bourbon fans would soon realize, it was a hidden gem among value Bourbons. It was likely this elevated reputation and improved marketing that drew the attention of Sazerac, the owners of the Buffalo Trace and Barton Distilleries.

With Sazerac’s purchase, plans were made for a special Early Times attraction in Bardstown at the Barton Distillery, but these plans were eventually dropped when the distillery suspended its tours. Now 4 years after the transition, fans await to see if the Sazerac distilled whiskey will continue to live up to the spirits Brown-Forman placed in the bottle. Regardless, these column distilled spirits are likely nothing like the original Kentucky sour mash whiskey produced in Jack Beam’s day. But honestly, nobody is really distilling that way anymore.

If you’re curious about the history of sour mash whiskey, check out The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey. The book and audiobook go deep into the concepts and techniques behind what 19th century distillers considered sweet mash and sour mash. Find The Lost History of Tennessee Whiskey on Amazon by searching for Whiskey Lore or head to whiskey-lore.com/book

The Wrap Up

As we prepare to leave the Cotswolds Distillery and make our way to our next distillery destination, if you’re on the fence about a visit to the distillery, let me give you my three reasons why you Cotswolds should be on your Whiskey Lore Wish List.

First, this is a great way to see the evolution of a distillery. You actually see two distilleries in one - a large scale and smaller scale. And if you like the look of copper, there is plenty of it in the smaller stillhouse. 

Second, is the world-class experience you’ll get here. There is no denying visitors love what this distillery has to offer. Amazingly, this English distillery beat out both Irish and Scottish distilleries in 2024 terms of customer satisfaction.

And third, if you are close to London or in the Midlands, and it’s your first time in England, it is the perfect area to take in the quintessential English experience.

I hope you enjoyed today’s episode. It's time to take the car hire back to Birmingham, where we'll catch an inexpensive RyanAir flight across the Irish Sea for our next distillery stops before heading back to America. And while there are a few distilleries across the globe that are building destination distillery experiences, this one is already there, with a mansion, gardens, waterfalls, and a state-of-the-art distillery, crafting exceptional whiskies. Make sure to subscribe to the Whiskey Lore podcast, so you don’t miss any of the great Whiskey Flights to come. I'm your travel guide, Drew Hannush. Until we meet again, cheers and Sláinte mhath.

Closing Acknowledgements

"For transcripts and travel information including maps, distillery planning information, and more, head to whiskey-lore.com/flights. Whiskey Lore is a production of Travel Fuels Life, LLC."