The Cotswolds Distillery opened in 2014 in Stourton, Warwickshire, founded by former New York hedge fund manager Dan Szor, who wanted to build an English single malt in the heart of the Cotswolds using locally grown, floor-malted barley. A decade on, the distillery has become one of the most respected names in English whisky, and its Bourbon Cask release is a beautifully direct statement of house style.
Matured entirely in first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and bottled at cask strength — typically in the high 50s% ABV — this expression strips away any finishing theatrics and shows the Cotswolds spirit as it is: bright, fruit-forward, citric, and remarkably clean for such a young distillery. The barley is grown in the surrounding fields and floor-malted at Warminster, and you can taste the care in the grain itself.
The nose is all lemon curd, vanilla pod and buttered shortbread, with a lift of green apple and pear. On the palate the cask strength delivers a creamy wave of vanilla, lemon meringue and white pepper, with a buttery malt core that feels both youthful and confident. The finish is long and warming, drying through cereal and citrus oil with a clean oak spice at the tail.
Non-chill-filtered, naturally coloured, and bottled with conviction — this is a benchmark English bourbon-cask single malt, and one of the clearest expressions of what the Cotswolds Distillery has built in such a short time.
