Cotswolds Distillery has beaten its UK and Irish whisky rivals for a second year running, being named as the most popular whisky distillery in the UK and Ireland in the The Cask Connoisseur 2024 Whisky Index.
With whisky tourism becoming increasingly popular, The Cask Connoisseur team has charted the top whisky attractions for tourists. They analysed the Google ratings and reviews, the number of TripAdvisor ratings and reviews and social media metrics covering Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Of the 298 whisky distilleries across the UK and Ireland, Cotswolds Distillery came out top. Each distillery was given a total score out of 3,576, representing its ‘distillery popularity index’ with Cotswolds Distillery gaining a top score of 3,217.
Cotswolds Distillery was the only English whisky distillery to be named in the top 10 and was commended for its “highly sought-after destination in a picturesque location, immersive tours and the opportunity to witness the meticulous craft of distilling first-hand.”
The distillery saw off stiff competition from the likes of Dublin’s well-respected Teeling Distillery, which came second; heritage Scottish distillery Bruichladdich, which came in third place and picturesque Welsh distillery, Penderyn, which was placed eleventh.
Commenting on this news, Cotswolds Distillery founder Daniel Szor says, “I am so proud to receive this amazing accolade. To be voted the most popular whisky distillery in the UK and Ireland two years in a row is such an honour and reflects the dedication of our team here at the distillery. We have worked hard to increase customer engagement through digital channels and the results speak for themselves.”
The distillery was founded by Daniel Szor in 2014 and was born from a dream to produce Outstanding Natural Spirits in one of the most beautiful parts of the world. Nestled in the Cotswolds countryside, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Cotswolds Distillery is the first full-scale distillery in the region and focuses on quality and flavour above all else.
Visitors to the distillery can enjoy a range of distillery experiences, from their award-winning Tour and Tasting which costs £25 per person, to interactive Blending Masterclasses and Virtual Tastings which cost £100 per person.
A new visitor centre opened in May 2019 which includes a shop and café serving food made with locally sourced ingredients and a range of Cotswolds Dry Gin and Cotswolds Single Malt Whisky cocktails.
In 2022, the distillery completed the expansion of its whisky production site which saw Cotswolds Distillery become the largest producer of English whisky. The new distillery is four times the size of the original distillery and has the capacity to produce 50,000 litres of pure alcohol a year to meet the increasing demand for English whisky in the UK and abroad.
Later this year the distillery will unveil its new wetlands area – a series of cells covering nearly two acres which will naturally process three quarters of the effluent from whisky production and cut down on tankers and local road traffic, along with a new entrance, pedestrianised zones and expanded outdoor space.
Since its opening in 2014 Cotswolds Distillery has won a series of awards for its finely crafted spirits but also as a venue, having won a TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Award in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Earlier this month Cotswolds Distillery won gold at the American Distilling Institute for its Harvest Series Flaxen Vale (liquid and packaging) and last year Cotswolds Distillery Bourbon Cask Single Malt Whisky won gold at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Competition 2023, the only UK product to take home a gold in the whisky category.