East London Liquor Company has made London’s first whisky in a century

The East London Liquor Company has produced the capital’s first rye whisky in more than 100 years.

“The great thing about producing our whisky in London is that we have a clean slate to be creative,” Andy Mooney, ELLC’s whisky distiller, said.

London Rye has a mash bill of 42% rye and 58% extra pale malted barley, is a combination of pot and column distilled, and has been matured in French oak, ex-bourbon and ex Pedro Ximenez sherry casks with a range of chars.

The whisky has already gained high profile listings in London’s premium on-trade including 45 Jermyn Street in Piccadilly, Mayfair’s Connaught Bar, Core by Clare Smyth, and Happiness Forgets in Shoreditch, as well as locations in Liverpool and Manchester.

“We’ve put a lot of attention and care into our first release of London Rye – from the char levels of the barrels, to the exact ABV of the final product; perfect to drink neat the minute you crack open the bottle.”

Retailing at £85 per 70cl bottle, the 46.5% ABV spirit is also available to purchase from ELLC’s bottle shops in Bow Wharf and Borough Market.T

he company said it aims to sell 1.8m bottles over the the next five years, with total revenue topping out at £28.7m.

Earlier this year, a report by market researcher Euromonitor identified innovation in the whisky category as a key trend for consumers in 2018.

While Irish whiskey will continue to grow in popularity, there is also scope for other regional and national spirits to come into the spotlight.

“Whiskies, cognac, English gins and vodkas will be the usual suspects dominating most of the headlines,” said Euromonitor’s Spiros Malandrakis, adding that “niche local specialties will also reach escape velocity beyond their respective domestic markets. Artisanal positioning, rebranding for an international audience, flavour sophistication initiatives and on-trade seeding trials will be the key drivers for expansion.”

East London Liquor Company secured £1.5m in funding through Crowdcube in May 2018, which has contributed to quadrupling the site’s whisky production capacity.

But ELLC is not confining itself to dark spirits, or even those typically found in Europe. Wolpert has already partnered with Michael Sager and Marcis Dzelzainis of Sager + Wilde to launch a mezcal brand, it was announced last week.

The first El Destilado collection launches this month with thirteen agave and sugar cane distillates from Mexico.