A leading English whisky maker is set to celebrate their 10th anniversary this summer and will host a number of events to mark their ‘Decade of Distilling’.
Spirit of Yorkshire was founded in 2016 by Tom Mellor and David Thompson, with the late Dr. Jim Swan helping guide the distillery through their early days. Their debut single malt - Filey Bay 1st Release - followed in 2019 and became the first recognised single malt whisky made in Yorkshire.
Ten years on the Hunmanby-based distillery and the Filey Bay brand are still going strong. Several Filey Bay releases have picked up gold awards in competitions around the world and the Spirit of Yorkshire distillery is a must visit for those interested in English whisky.
To celebrate, the distillery is hosting an Open Weekend across Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd August 2026 (the Saturday also falls on Yorkshire Day - a fitting day for a party in the region!).
Each day will host tastings, tours, live music, and the finest offerings from local food producers. There’s also the promise of some special ‘Decade of Distilling’ surprises along the way.
The highlight of the event will be Decade of Distilling Masterclasses that run twice daily over the weekend. This will offer guests a rare chance to sample a range of the distillery’s wares from their first ten years, including Spirit of Yorkshire’s currently unreleased, first ever ten year old single malt. If sampling such a dram isn’t enough, then you’ll be able to take home a bottle as part of the cost of your ticket.
Speaking on the special occasion and the ten year old whisky, David Thompson said: “Be among the first to both sample and take home our Decade of Distilling Single Cask – the first 10-year-old age-stated Yorkshire whisky. This single cask whisky was distilled and casked in the summer of 2016. Presented in a special box and available exclusively at this masterclass, it demonstrates how our distillery style has matured over the past decade.
“During our very special Decade of Distilling masterclasses, participants can look forward to more than an hour of drams, conversation and discussion about our first 10 years of production, alongside tastings that reflect our journey from maturing malt to our latest release, Decade of Distilling.”
Full details on the single cask ten year old are expected to be revealed closer to the time on the event. In the meantime, Spirit of Yorkshire has also released another limited edition whisky as part of their celebrations.
Filey Bay 10th Anniversary is a special release limited to just 2,016 bottles, honouring the year the distillery was founded. The whisky itself is a marriage of ex-bourbon and ex-madeira casks, some of which date back to the earliest days of the distillery. Bottled at 49.9%, this whisky is available now with an RRP of £90.
For more information on this limited edition whisky or to enquire about tickets for Spirit of Yorkshire’s Decade of Distilling events, check out the brand’s website.
