Derbyshire’s White Peak distillery have revealed their final whisky release for 2024: the White Peak English Oak.
This one of a kind dram ages the distillery’s lightly peated spirit in first fill bourbon barrels, before transferring it into quarter casks crafted from English virgin oak for a final maturation period of nine months. The whisky is then bottled at an impressive 54.3% ABV, resulting in a whisky that boasts notes of dark chocolate, dried fruits, walnuts, and orange oil.
White Peak have ventured into new territory for this release. They have experimented using oak for previous expressions, but native wood had yet to be used.
Co-founder Max Vaughn said: “This is a distillery-first for us, celebrating our commitment to craft, provenance and flavour. We invite our distillery friends and supporters to unplug from the rush and join us for this unique release.”
Utilising English oak for maturing whisky is far from the most common choice, with European and American oak being more widely used. This mirrors maturation practices north of the border, though some Scottish distilleries such as Aberfeldy and Fettercairn are also experimenting with aging in native oak.
These casks were specially created by Jensen’s Cooperage in North Yorkshire, the only independent cooperage in England.
Late November is normally a time for producers and retailers to heavily promote online deals, particularly around Black Friday. However, the team at White Peak are bucking the trend and using their latest release to celebrate specialist, in-store retailers.
Max Vaughn says “Wire Works Whisky English Oak is our opportunity to provide support to our bricks-and-mortar UK stockists on Small Business Saturday and into the festive season, encouraging people to visit their local high street and whisky retailer.”
Fellow co-founder Claire Vaughn elaborates: “For our special final release of 2024, we want to celebrate the in-person passion, knowledge, and expertise of our high-street retail partners who bring our products to life, transforming a simple transaction into a meaningful experience.”
As such, the Wire Works Whisky English Oak will only be available in selected retail partners throughout the UK and in their distillery store. White Peak will reveal these stockists through their mailing list and across their social media channels on 29th November, before going on sale on Saturday 30th.
Only 129 bottles of the English Oak expression will be released, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled and move fast if you want to grab yourself a bottle!
