Tag: English Whisky

To welcome the comeback of whisky distillation in East London, we travelled to East London Liquor Company and were among the first to taste London Rye!

Last night MoM was invited to an incredibly exciting preview dinner. Why? The marvellous folk over at East London Liquor Company (ELLC) revealed London Rye whisky for the first time! This is a very exciting development for a number of reasons, the first being the obvious – yay, more whisky! But more pertinently, this is a particularly notable launch because it’s a part of history. Not only is the expression the first whisky ELLC has ever released, but it’s also the first to be distilled in London’s East End since the closure of Lea Valley in 1904.

The inaugural London Rye release is an attempt from ELLC to make an English whisky that could appeal to a range of drinkers and bartenders. East London Liquor Company’s whisky distiller, Andy Mooney described it as “perfect to drink neat the minute you crack open the bottle”. What stands out straight away is that it’s a rye whisky. However, don’t expect the classic American variety. The recipe Mooney and his team created features a mash bill of 42% rye and 58% extra pale malted barley.

London Rye is intriguing. It was distilled in a combination of pot and column stills before the new make spirit was initially matured for a year in 30-litre and 60-litre new French oak casks with Level 5 and 3 char. This was followed by two years in ex-bourbon before it was finally finished for one month in an ex-Pedro Ximénez sherry cask. It was then bottled at 46.8%.