Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery

Spirit of Yorkshire Ltd (Company No. 08182937) was registered and began operations in 2016. The founders' vision was rooted in the farm itself: rather than building a distillery that happened to be near fields, they built one that was inseparable from the land it occupied. All malting barley is grown on the home farm at Hunmanby Grange and harvested annually, with the specific variety and growing conditions directly influencing the character of the spirit.

Production commenced in 2016 using pot still distillation, and the whisky was filled into casks across a programme of different wood types to explore the range of flavours the Yorkshire barley spirit could deliver. The Flagship expression — the accessible core of the range — was followed by the Moscatel Sherry Cask and STR (Shave, Toast, Re-char) Red Wine Cask variants, each exploring a different dimension of the base spirit's character.

The distillery received an IWSC Gold Medal and was placed in the Top 50 Spirits Producers list, establishing Filey Bay's credentials alongside older-established English whisky producers. The approaching 10-year mark in 2026 is particularly significant: it will allow the release of the first age-statement Filey Bay at the decade mark, a statement of maturity for the brand.

All barley is grown on Hunmanby Grange Farm, harvested each season, and sent for malting before returning to the distillery for mashing and fermentation. The distillery uses copper pot stills for distillation. Water for production is drawn from local Yorkshire sources. The still house produces new make spirit which is filled into a combination of American ex-bourbon barrels, Moscatel sherry casks, and STR (Shave, Toast, Re-char) red wine casks to produce the core expressions. The farm-to-bottle nature of the operation means production volumes are tied to the annual harvest yield.

Filey Bay whisky is characterised by its light, creamy, and fruity profile — a clean, accessible style that reflects the quality of the Yorkshire barley and careful distillation.

The Flagship expression delivers honey, vanilla, citrus, and caramel in an approachable and food-friendly package. The Moscatel Sherry Cask adds layers of milk chocolate, toasted nuts, and apricot over the base citrus and honey notes. The STR Red Wine Cask takes the spirit in a softer direction, with malty biscuit, marzipan, boiled sweets, and gentle red fruits from the shave-toast-rechar barrel treatment.

Daily guided tours are offered at the distillery on the Yorkshire Wolds. Deeper experiences include dedicated tasting sessions and Distillery Sessions supper clubs — evening events pairing whisky with food in the distillery environment. The Pot Still Coffee Shop is open on site for casual visitors. A physical distillery shop stocks the full range, and free UK mainland delivery is available on online orders over £100. The Open Weekend of 1–2 August 2026 will celebrate the tenth anniversary with special events and the first age-statement release. Book via spiritofyorkshire.com.