The team at Whittaker’s Distillery are celebrating after scooping two prestigious industry awards.
The Nidderdale based business run by husband and wife team Toby and Jane Whittaker were awarded Best British Varietal Vodka in the World Vodka Awards for their new Barley Mow Vodka as well as a Gold Medal in the World Gin Awards for their Original Gin.
The new, unique vodka is made from Yorkshire Laurette Barley, which is mashed and then fermented for 5 days before being run through Whittaker’s 21 plate rectification column which produces a super smooth spirit.
Barley Mow is the first vodka in the Whittaker’s range with more being planned in the near future using heritage grains such as Golden Promise and Maris Otter all grown and malted in Yorkshire by Thomas Fawcett & Sons Ltd in Castleford.
Toby said: “We’re thrilled to have received these two prestigious accolades and particularly for our first ever vodka. The last 12 months have been very busy at the distillery and we have lots of exciting plans in the pipeline for the year ahead.
“We’re also really looking forward to welcoming visitors back to the distillery for tours once the restrictions allow this summer.”
Whittaker’s Original Gin, which had previously been awarded a Gold Medal in the Classic section at the World Gin Awards, retained its winning spot by taking home Gold again and adding to the raft of international and industry awards to their name.
Founded in 2015, the family run company have gone from strength to strength, with the expansion of their original range to include a number of varieties and flavours. In 2018 Whittaker’s Whisky was founded which saw the team convert their unused farm buildings into a new distillery, tasting room and coffee shop with the capacity to produce 15,000 bottles of whisky a year and host tours and events for visitors at their Harewell House Farm base.
As well as receiving awards for their range of spirits, the Whittaker’s team were also presented with a Community Spirit Award by the UK Spirits Alliance for their work during the covid-19 pandemic at the end of last year. Recognising their efforts for going above and beyond for their community during the COVID crisis, Whittaker’s teamed up with a local brewery to produce and donate clinical-standard hand sanitiser for both Harrogate & District NHS Foundation Trust and Bradford ICU.
Whittaker’s range of spirits are available at independent retailers nationwide and online at www.whittakersgin.co.uk where distillery tours can also be booked.