Ad Gefrin distillery in Wooler releases its first whisky blend

Tácnbora, meaning ‘standard bearer’ in Old English, is the debut offer from Northumberland’s first legal distillery in 200 years.

The Venerable Bede records that King Edwin was always preceded by a standard bearer carrying a standard with a goat’s head effigy, and that goat symbol is now central to Ad Gefrin’s brand marque.

The whisky blend will pave the way for the distillery’s Ad Gefrin gin and single malt in years to come.

Ben Murphy, director of distilling said: “The Tácnbora whisky blend features Scottish and Irish whiskies, reflecting two of the peoples that would have made up the Anglo-Saxons of Northumbria (Scottish, Irish, English, and Scandinavian).

"Tácnbora is made with a mix of malt and grain and finished in Northumberland in Virgin American oak and oloroso casks, creating a distinctive and palatable spirit.

"On the nose, it has notes of honey, vanilla, candied citrus peel and spices, backed up on the palate with the flavours of sultanas, cream soda and nutmeg.

"The finish lingers and coats the mouth with the tastes of honey, vanilla and sweet citrus.”

Joining Ben on the distilling team are Craig Stock, a Canadian with diverse experience latterly at Durham Distillery and Germano Molinari, a recent postgraduate from Heriot Watt University’s Institute of Brewing and Distilling.

Extra experience is provided in a non-executive capacity by Alan Rutherford, former president of the Malt Distillers Association of Scotland, and council member of the Scotch Whisky Association and recipient of an OBE for ‘services to whisky’.

The £14m distillery and visitor centre is scheduled to open to the public in February, revealing the fascinating history of Northumberland's Anglo-Saxon ‘Golden Age’.

The immersive museum will showcase the court of the 7th century Northumbrian kings and queens that drew people from all over the world to visit their summer palace nearby.

Tácnbora is available to purchase online for £42.50/70cl from https://adgefrin.co.uk/shop

As for the other nationalities, they will feature in future editions, and all four will make up Ad Gefrin’s exclusive blend for their Corenkyn (meaning ‘chosen family’ in Old English) founding members.