Sometimes things fall into place in the nicest of ways. Half term came around with nothing booked into the diary and we wanted to see my folks. So, I looked further up the country for somewhere nice we could all stay and we landed on a weekend in the Derbyshire Dales. I found a lovely lodge in a place that my kids could have lots of fun (https://darwinforest.co.uk/) and then when I was looking around for stuff to do, I spotted that White Peak wasn’t too far away. I’ve tried their whisky at The English Whisky Festival and been incredibly impressed, so it was with excitement that I managed to squeeze on to a tour that fitted with our family schedule. I had to play DES, but that meant that my dad could drink on behalf of both of us.
Tour Style: Due to timings and family commitments, we couldn’t book ahead (which I would advise, as it’s a popular place) and we managed to squeeze on to a distillery tour. The afternoon’s whisky tour was fully booked – otherwise we would have loved to opt for that more whisky focussed tour.
My expectations were low, but the tour was incredible. Our guide was Sarah, who is a distiller at White Peak. She was friendly, knowledgeable and very passionate about whisky production. She guided us through the process with enough detail for the nerds without boring everyone else. The tour felt guided, but flexible (with enough time to mill about and talk to your friends) and we were able to take photos at every point on the tour.
Distillery Feel: Approaching the distillery, you would be forgiven for at first thinking that you had gone the wrong way and then that you still might be going the wrong way, but eventually (if you keep following your nose) you WILL find the car park. Once inside, the distillery has a rustic but well-appointed feeling. The old wire works is a beautiful old industrial building, and it has been lovingly turned into a boutique distillery. The shop is small, but the tasting room was inviting and toasty: with a log fire burning to keep everyone warm until the tour started. It felt thoughtfully put together and had lots of features that were interesting to look at and be talked through.
Tasting: As mentioned above, we were booked on to the standard tour, so we tasted a gin, an aged rum and one whisky, which was WireWorks Caduro. It was a great introduction to the wider production for my dad, who had never tasted anything from the distillery before, but might disappoint a more whisky orientated person. Drivers’ drams need to be booked ahead, so I suggest mentioning this when you book on to a tour. In the shop, we were invited to taste other whiskies, and I purchased the Distillery Exclusive fill your own bottling.
Overall: A thoroughly enjoyable tour and tasting at a distillery that goes from strength to strength. For a young distillery, the industrial history of the building imbues the business with a sense of time and place, which somehow seems to come shining through in the liquid too. We would absolutely recommend a visit – but book ahead for the whisky tour and make the most of your time in this fantastic place.
Link: https://www.whitepeakdistillery.co.uk/product/tours-tasting/