Andrew Gibbs talks to Laurence Conisbee, founder of Northamptonshire whisky distillery (and more) Wharf Distillery, about the rise in popularity of English-made whisky and the increasing number of distilleries at work south of the Scottish border.
Main picture: Laurence Conisbee, founder and managing director of Wharf Distillery.
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WHISKY. Traditionally the preserve of the Scots and Irish who made the distilling art their own for hundreds of years.
But now there are new kids on the block, other nations making their mark. Japanese whisky is fast becoming among the most sought-after in the world. Sweden is one of the most impressive new forces, carving a niche for itself in a crowded global scene.
And Scotland and Ireland have a rival closer to home. English whisky is on the up, with around 50,000 casks forecast to be laid down by distilleries around the country by the end of this year. The value of this maturing stock is forecast to top £1 billion.
English whisky is witnessing unprecedented growth, with drinkers across the world discovering a spirit produced with a huge diversity of flavours and to the highest standards.
The nation is home to 45 distilleries and a string of national awards. Many are members of the English Whisky Guild, founded in 2022 by 11 distilleries wanting their products to be recognised around the world. One founding member is Wharf Distillery in Towcester.
“It felt like we were all competing for the same market but by working collaboratively you are creating more opportunity for everyone,” said Wharf Distillery’s founder and managing director Laurence Conisbee.
Laurence was among the first for more than a century to explore the commercial potential of English whisky. Formerly an IT manager for news agency Reuters, his first foray into drinks manufacture took place in his back garden in Milton Keynes in 2009 when he began his Virtual Orchard cider-making venture and won CAMRA’s Champion Cider award with his Hard Core cider in 2011. Alongside cider, Virtual Orchard manufactured mead, juices and apple brandy. In 2017 Laurence decided to refocus solely on distilling and founded Wharf Distillery.
External forces persuaded Laurence to begin to move the business up the A5 towards its current home in Towcester, first to Wakefield Country Courtyard, then to Cherry Lane Garden Centre. Then a stop at Whittlebury before moving into the distillery’s current premises, a former steel fabrication plant that Laurence took on to enable its former owners to retire.
“I used to work for Reuters, managing their IT department and then went to work for Computer Centre managing 900 people,” said Laurence. “But I had started to make cider in my garden and when I was made redundant, I was left with a choice
“I have had redundancy three times in my career but I always see it as an opportunity. We had just won cider champion and we had a cider brandy on the go. I always like a bit of risk in my life and I thought that if I did not do this now someone else will so I went for it.”
Wharf Distillery is the only grain to glass distillery in Northamptonshire. It does not buy in neutral spirit to manufacture its products; rather, it ferments its raw ingredients to create the initial base alcohol. The distillery still works with a local brewery that provides the malted barley, adds the water and drains out the fermentation sugars before the liquid is moved to Towcester for distilling before being laid down for at least three years in wood casks that give the whisky its flavour.
The first whisky laid down by Laurence in 2014 – Cattle Creep whisky, a nod to its collaboration with the Concrete Cow Brewery in Milton Keynes – was one of the first English whiskies.
Wharf Distillery produces two whiskies: Equinox, stilled and laid in a port wood quarter cask storing 160 litres for three to four years which gives the whisky a port-coloured red tinge, and Solstice, stilled in a madeira wood cask of between 55 litres and 160 litres. The wood gives it a more golden hue.
“The whiskies have their names to reflect their scarcity,” said Laurence. “There are only two of them each year and we release them from their casks during the equinox and solstice time of year.
“We do not promote the whisky too much. It has gathered momentum through word of mouth and happy customers coming back for more.”
Initial sales were online but now customers visit the distillery and shop itself. “They come from all over the world. One man from Texas flies over for every new release , others come from New Zealand, Australia as well as the USA and the UK of course.”
Wharf Distillery is a dark spirits distillery of which whisky is only part. It also manufactures its own gin range, dark rum, brandy and vodka. Its Towcester Gin is its most popular product.
90% of the business is contract distilling, creating spirits for clients. The business supplies shops, delicatessens and individuals who want their own brand and for other organisations.
The business creates Bletchley Park Gin and a special gin to mark the 600th anniversary of the Royal Latin School in Buckingham as part of its fundraising campaign. It has a client in Hong Kong for whom it distills the distinctively named Fok Hing Gin.
“We distill for people who want to make spirits their business,” said Laurence. “We have always catered for people at the smaller end of the market, who are not interested in the margin and simply want a brand up and running.
The distillery employs two full-time and three part-timers. Business is moving in the right direction but Laurence has his eye on the future as well.
“I would like to have direct sales up to 40% of our total business, at least 15% of those from the shop and the rest online. And we are trying to create more of a venue here, hosting events, tours of the distillery tours, tastings… We want this to be a hub for people to come to.”
With Silverstone on the doorstep, there is potential to increase visitor numbers significantly. Next door to the distillery, a cheese shop has opened offering a wide range of cheeses and tasting events on which Laurence hopes to collaborate.
“Towcester is a great place for us to be because it is expanding. 15,000 houses are planned for the town over the next ten years. Towcester has a huge opportunity to change the high street and I see us being a big part of that by expanding what we are doing here.”
Of the products Wharf Distillery manufactures, one has a special place in Laurence’s heart. “Apple brandy is my favourite because that is where it all started,” he said. “I love the simplicity of the whole thing but we are ahead of the curve with each whisky.”
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