First English whisky

England will have its first whisky release in December of this year, Harpers Wine and Spirit can reveal.

St. George's Distillery - home of the English Whisky Company - is seeking to target the lucrative Japanese and Indian markets with its range of peated and unpeated single malt whiskies.

The family-owned, Norfolk based business is also hoping to cash in on the national pride surrounding the 2012 Olympics.

Managing Director, Andrew Nelstrop, said that interest in the spirit, which cannot be classified as whisky until December, is already high. Just 349 cases are being released for this Christmas. "We're satisfied that we have made it this far," Andrew Nelstrop said.

"The quality is excellent and this really is an English product. Our whisky is made through a slow and gentle process."

St George's Distillery will produce 150,000 bottles of whisky each year, but has the capacity to increase production significantly if required.

The whisky comes in four 'chapters' of new spirit, peated new spirit 18-month barrel aged peated and 18 month unpeated.

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