It was lovely to host Wooler’s very own Ad Gefrin distillery in Westminster recently for an English Whisky Day to help raise the profile of English whisky! Employing over 60 local folk, it’s a great North Northumberland success story.
As one of a surprisingly small number of English distilleries, I was pleased to be able to help raise Ad Gefrin’s profile at an event attended by MPs, Lords, journalists and trade and export representatives from the Government, and I hope that the Chancellor’s freezing of alcohol duty in the Autumn Statement to provide stability, boost growth and limit inflation helps them too.
The event was also supported by the English Whisky Guild and Exploring English Whisky. There are 49 English whisky distilleries (registered as of April 2023), 45 of these are active distilleries, 23 of these distilleries are members of the English Whisky Guild. Approximately 50,000 casks of English whisky are expected to be laid down by distilleries by the end of 2024 and the value of this maturing stock is forecast to exceed £1 billion over the same period.
Whether you’re looking for gifts for friends and family, or to stock your own drinks cabinet this Christmas, do think of shopping local at one of our many fantastic North Northumberland businesses!
Co-founder of Ad Gefrin, Alan Ferguson OBE, attended on behalf of Ad Gefrin, one of 17 distilleries showcasing their whisky. Alan Ferguson OBE said:
“It was a privilege to present Ad Gefrin to the houses of parliament as the vanguard of English Whisky. We are looking forward to working with our growing community in the English Whisky Guild to make English Whisky – and our corner of Northumberland – increasingly relevant and desirable on the world stage. Ad Gefrin embodies the hospitality of the Golden Age of Northumbria to bring together, sharing moments of connection to a time long passed yet fully present. Having only opened in March, we look forward to welcoming people through our doors for many years to come.”
