Cotswolds Distillery creates whisky with Hook Norton

English producers Cotswolds Distillery and Hook Norton Brewery have collaborated on a limited edition rye whisky, named Traitors Ford.

The whisky has been made with a mash bill of 60% rye, 30% corn, and 10% malted barley. Production, specifically the mashing and fermentation, began in 2016 at Hook Norton Brewery, situated in Oxfordshire, England. It was then aged for eight years at the Cotswolds Distillery in a re-charred American oak cask. 2024 was chosen as the release year to mark both Cotswolds Distillery’s 10th anniversary and 175 years of brewing at Hook Norton. Founder of the Cotswolds Distillery, Dan Szor, said: “I couldn’t be more excited that the long-awaited day has arrived when we can release this fantastic cask, one of our oldest whiskies to date, a celebration of both our amazing location and a collaboration between two terrific brands here in the north Cotswolds.” Unlike the traditional American rye-making process, Traitors Ford’s mashbill was lautered (a beer brewing process that separates the mash into clear liquid wort and residual grain), and the wash was distilled in a Holstein hybrid pot and column still. The recipe was inspired by the late David Pickerell, ex-master distiller at Maker’s Mark. Only one barrel was produced and just 200 bottles are available. These can be purchased on the Cotswolds Distillery website for £175 (US$225). Sporting an ABV of 40%, Traitors Ford has ‘rich’ notes of hazelnuts and wood spice on the nose, and a 'thick and creamy' palate of sticky ginger cake and cassia. The name Traitors Ford is taken from a location near the Cotswolds Distillery and Hook Norton Brewery, which is said to be full of English history. James Clarke, managing director at Hook Norton Brewery, added: “Here at Hook Norton Brewery we always look to work closely with local suppliers and producers, so producing a whisky with our friends at Cotswold Distillery just over the hill was a natural fit. “Brewing and distilling go hand in hand and back through history, so it has been great to work together to produce this historic and unique whisky.” Last month, Cotswolds Distillery launched a digital summer campaign for its dry gin. The campaign tapped into Britain's unpredictable weather to spotlight the gin's cloudy and dry characteristics.