Historic ceremony held as Wooler whisky distillery receives official seal of approval
A ceremonial inspection has taken place at Ad Gefrin, England's most northerly whisky distillery, by the Worshipful Company of Distillers.
The Master, Daniel Szor, led the inspection with the Wardens, Clerk and Beadle of the livery all arriving in livery gowns and regalia to exercise their right to inspect the distillery.
Guided by the Ad Gefrin team, the inspectors examined the Wooler premises, reviewed the distillery's production practices and tested samples of the spirit.
They then presented the Ad Gefrin team with a formal certificate confirming that the distillery operates in accordance with the Company's standards.
The ‘current’ inspection powers derive from the Company’s second Royal Charter - granted in 1687 by King James II - which gave the London livery company the power to regulate the distilling trade, search the premises of spirit makers and destroy unwholesome wares.
That jurisdiction traditionally covered the Cities of London and Westminster but is exercised across the UK when the occasion calls for it.
Today the inspection is ceremonial rather than regulatory, but it still means a distillery's work has been assessed and approved by one of the oldest institutions in the spirits trade. The occasion had added significance because Ben Murphy, Director of Distilling at Ad Gefrin, is himself a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Distillers.
Ben said: “It's one thing to be a member of the Livery, and quite another to have the Master and Wardens walk through your stillhouse and taste your spirit. Our ambition at Ad Gefrin is to distil the land around us, so having the Livery taste that spirit in the stillhouse where it's made was a real privilege."
Daniel Szor added: “We’ve stretched our historic inspection radius from the City of London just a little this year, visiting Norfolk and Northumbria to celebrate English whisky’s pioneers and its newest arrivals.
"Ad Gefrin embodies the ambition of this remarkable category: a magnificent distillery and visitor centre, with Anglo-Saxon history at its heart. As its own whisky prepares to make its debut, we wish the team every success in sharing the very best of Northumbrian spirit—in every sense—with the world.”
In addition, Ad Gefrin also released a new expression of Tácnbora, its blended whisky: the Tácnbora Oloroso Hogshead Finish. This bottling was finished for nine months in an Oloroso sherry hogshead.
Ben said: “Any type of cask used for finishing a whisky can bring a huge amount to the profile but can also take away, the key is understanding that balance and knowing when to stop. We wanted the casks for this finish to offer more depth and richness while keeping Tácnbora recognisably itself.”