Cotswolds distillery information

Located in Stourton in the North Cotswolds between Oxford and Stratford-Upon-Avon, the Cotswolds distillery was founded by Dan Szor, a hedge fund manager working in London (originally from New York). His wife and him own a house in the Cotswolds and in 2012, Dan looked out the window, saw fields of Barley, and being an avid whisky lover, the figured it was time for a career shift. Two old farm buildings in Stourton (Between Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon) were purchased by November 2013, using capital of his own, his family, and a club of private investors, the Cotswolds Distillery Founders’ Circle for the initial financing of the distillery.

The Cotswold Distillery

The Cotswold Distillery

Seeing Dan had no experience in the actual workings of a distillery, he hired renowned whisky consultants Jim Swan and Harry Cockburn to assit him with the initial planning, and then assembled the rest of his staff. The buildings were refurbished, and turned into a distillery along with tasting rooms and office, with the stills arriving in June 2014. In July, an opening event was held on the 22nd, and production started in September of the same year.

The stills at Cotswolds

The stills at Cotswolds

Apart from the regular whisky stills, an additional 500 liter Hybrid Holstein still was added to the distillery in order to produce gin, brandies, and other spirits.

Cotswold whisky

All ingredients used in the distillation are sourced locally. The first batch of Single Malt whisky will be released in 2017, but until then, the distillery intends to sell some other products:

  • Cotswolds Single MAlt whisky; to be released in 2017. It will be an unpeated, and primarily matured in Sherry casks
  • Cotswolds Dry Gin
  • Traitor’s Ford Rye; English Rye Whisky
  • Cotswoldados; a Calvados-like spirit
  • Cotswolds cream liqueur; a mix of Cotswold spirit and a fortified Sherry

Distillery info:

NameCotswolds distillery
RegionThe Cotswolds
Logo
StatusActive
Founded2014
Water sourceRefined Cotswolds water
Owned byCotswold Distilling Company Ltd
Address

The Cotswolds Distillery
Phillip's Field, Whichford Road
Stourton
Shipston-on-Stour
Warwickshire CV36 5HG
United Kingdom

+44 (0) 1608 238533

Visitor centreYes
Websitehttp://www.cotswoldsdistillery.com/
Twitterhttp://twitter.com/Cotswoldistill
Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/cotswoldsdistillery?ref=ts&fref=ts
CommunityN/A
Map

Distillery Setup:

Component
Capacity
Quantity
Mash tun0,5 tonnes1
Washback2,500 litres4
Wash still2,400 litres1
Spirit Still1,600 litres1
Expected yearly output in LPA (Litres of pure alcohol)50,000

Images courtesy of The Cotswolds Distillery and Tom Elms Photography