With Ad Gefrin, England has its newest single malt whisky distillery. It also has the country’s most northernly, sitting just a few miles from the Scottish border in the small town of Wooler in the far north of Northumberland. With its opening last month, Ad Gefrin brings the total number of distilleries making whisky in England to 40. Matt was invited for a visit.
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Ad Gefrin is impressive. From the road it cuts an imposing figure with its glass-fronted still house showing passers-by that whisky is now being made there. The £16 million project was conceived and funded by the Ferguson family and is unlike any distillery that you will see. The family’s love of history and whisky has been combined in a unique way. But more on that later …
Our guide was Ben Murphy, a graduate of Herriot Watt’s legendary Brewing & Distilling degree that has produced so many distillers for the whisky industry. The layout of the distillery is simple with all the equipment in one spacious room. This allows visitors to easily see and understand the whisky production process and follow it from mashing to distillation.
All barley used at Ad Gefrin is grown in Northumberland, much of it coming from within a 15-mile radius of the distillery. This is malted locally also – at Simpsons Maltings in nearby Berwick-upon-Tweed – keeping the carbon footprint and airmiles to an absolute minimum. It is milled to grist - the mix of husks, flour, and sugary core of the barley – in one tonne batches.
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| The mash tun. |
Each grist batch is added to the mash tun with 4,500 litres of warm water, which pulls the soluble sugars from the barley and is taken from a bore hole on site. This happens three times, with the water temperature increasing on each occasion to maximise sugar extraction. The initial water is 64°C, then 75°C and finally 85°C. The result is a sweet non-alcoholic solution called wort.
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| The washbacks. |
The wort then moves to one of four wooden washbacks where fermentation takes place. Yeast is added and feeds on the sugar to produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. Ad Gefrin practise a long fermentation - this occurs naturally in 48 hours, but here they run for 90 hours. This aids the production of extra fruity characteristics in the final spirit, which are created as the yeast cells die and fall to the base of the washback. The resulting wash sits at 8% ABV.
First distillation takes place in the wash still with each 4,500-litre batch of wash heated to separate ethanol from other compounds. This raises the alcohol strength to 25% ABV. The spirit still is smaller at 3,500 litres – this purifies the spirit further and raises the strength to 65% ABV.
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| The wash still (in foreground) and spirit still. |
The stills and entire system were built by Forsyth’s, the world-renowned coppersmiths from Rothes in the Speyside region of Scotland. The aim is to make 120,000 litres of whisky in the first year. There is potential to add four further washbacks and this will increase annual capacity to 360,000 litres.
The distillery has been in production since November 2022 with the new make spirit being mostly filled to traditional American oak and European oak casks to date. Other barrel types include ex-Madeira wine and ex-rum, plus a couple of quirky non-oak barrels including chestnut and acacia. Unlike over the border in Scotland, where producers must follow strict rules and laws, the regulations are looser. This makes experimentation rife within the English whisky scene.
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| The palletised warehouse was under construction. |
Our tour continued to the warehouse, which was remained under construction. Casks are coming from two sources – the famous Kelvin cooperage in America and the White Rose cooperage in Yorkshire. The palletised warehouse will house 1,100 casks when complete and is expected to be filled within 18 months. Filled casks are currently being stored elsewhere.
The final stop was tasting room with a difference. The room was sparsely populated with a central island the only feature. However, the main feature was a spectacular 360° animation that played across the walls for the entire time we were sampling. This immersive experience took us on a journey through the local landscape and across the four seasons. The mood and feel of the room changed with each season.
With years to wait until Ad Gefrin whisky is ready to be bottled, we were given a taste of Tácnbora Batch 1 – a blend created by the distillery constructed of Irish single grain matured in ex-Oloroso sherry barrels and Scotch single malt and single grain, both matured in ex-bourbon casks. This is planned to be an ongoing release and act as a good introductory whisky for visitors.
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| Tácnbora Batch 1. |
Tácnbora translates as ‘standard bearer’ from old English and is bottled at 42.7% ABV – the nose is confected and sweet with vanilla, white chocolate, and marshmallow aromas. The palate continues the sweetness and vibrancy with notes of toffee, butterscotch, and vanilla, plus some lovely cereal and dried grassy notes in the background.
However, the distillery is only one part of Ad Gefrin. The aspect that makes it truly unique amongst its contemporaries is the Anglo-Saxon museum that forms a significant part of the complex. The concept is the brainchild of founders Alan and Eileen Ferguson, who are fans of local history and whisky. Their dream was to combine the two in this state-of-the-art facility.
The interactive museum centres around the ancient village of Yeavering (Ad Gefrin in old English), which is located a stone's throw from the distillery. The village rose to particular prominence as the regional residence for King Edwin and his Queen, Aethelburga, between 617 and 633 AD.
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| At the site of Yeavering. |
Entry to the museum is through a replica of The Great Hall at Yeavering, which has been recreated to the same height and width as that which stood on the Anglo-Saxon site. The length is shown by a large projection that has actors telling the story of Yeavering and going about daily routines. It is quite awe inspiring. The room also features pottery, tapestries and the King and Queen's thrones, which have all been made by local artists.
Yeavering was believed to have only been occupied as a settlement between 550 and 650 AD, and was only first excavated in the 1960s. This history is shown in the next area. This is split into different areas of interest - A Place of Nature, A Place of Faith, A Place of Creativity, A Place of Power and A Place Lost & Found.
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| Artifacts include some from The British Mueum. |
Each has artifacts relating to the Anglo-Saxon period, with some recovered from Yeavering itself. These include jewellery, pots, bowls and coins which have been loaned from the local Gefrin Trust. Some are from further afield such as The British Museum and Shakespeare's Birthplace Trust. Another nice touch is that all signage is in English and Old English.
A visit to Ad Gefrin is really like no other distillery visit. The juxtaposition of local history and a fully operational distillery is bold, intriguing and unique. It will be very interesting as to what visitors make of it and what the whisky is like in time. We wish them every success. It is an impressive set-up and highly recommend a visit if you are in that part of the world.
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| The still house lit up at night. |
Visitor Information
- The Visitor Centre / Shop / Bistro is open daily 10am to 6pm, except Tuesday when all are closed.
- Tickets for The Great Hall & Museum - £10 (children aged 8-17 years - £5 / under 8 years - free)
- Tickets for The Great Hall / Museum / Distillery Tour & Tasting - £25
- Available to purchase in advance at the Ad Gefrin website - click here.
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