The Spirit of Manchester Distillery is moving into the whisky market, with the launch of its OnePointSix English Whisky.
The move comes off the back of an accelerated period of growth for the Distillery, which will be investing over £1 million into the production – its biggest product investment since it was founded in 2016.
The single malt OnePointSix, named after Leonardo Fibonacci’s golden ratio, will be casked this July, with the first bottle due to launch towards the end of 2025.
Distilled using the company’s carbon-neutral, 750-litre custom copper still, OnePointSix will combine English roasted and kilned malts, which together with a longer-than-average four-day fermentation period, will give the whisky a distinctive and fruity flavour profile.
The company has also worked with JW Lees Brewery to source fresh yeasts for the product – specifically a 5,000th generation yeast dating back 30 years, providing an authenticity and uniqueness to the whisky.
Following distillation, the casks, consisting of first-fill bourbon, red wine and sherry casks to add flavour, will be matured for over three years in an external warehouse, before being made available for public purchase in 2025.
The popularity of English whisky has soared in recent years. According to the English Whisky Guild, the volume of spirit produced by English distilleries is forecast to grow by 189 per cent between 2019 and 2023, while the number of bottles sold is predicted to grow by 418% over the same period. It is believed The Spirit of Manchester Distillery will be just the 41st English whisky distillery in the UK.
With OnePointSix new make spirit available to taste from September, the Distillery will also launch a Founders Club membership scheme enabling those interested to enjoy regular updates and samples of the whisky throughout its lifetime.
Investment opportunities will also be offered on a limited basis, allowing private individual investors interested in the collectibles market to invest in full or quarter casks.
Seb Heeley-Wiggins, Master Distiller at The Spirit of Manchester, commented: “We have watched with interest at how the English whisky market has been performing and we are proud to be at the forefront of this trend.”
“The malts we have sourced are often used in the brewing world, and this has enabled us to be much more experimental and innovative in the flavour profile we have created. We believe we will be offering something completely new to the market, and we’re excited to launch to the public in 2025.”
He continued: “Our OnePointSix Founders Club and investor opportunities will enable us to bring our customers on this journey with us, and we are very excited to provide more details on both this Autumn.”
Headquartered in Manchester, the state-of-the-art £1 million Spirit of Manchester Distillery is capable of producing over a million bottles a year of its award-winning spirits, which include One-Eyed Rebel Spiced Rum, Forty-Five Vermouth and Manchester Gin, one of the most awarded gins in the UK.
It is currently in talks with investors to expand its site with a Manchester based super distillery due to launch in 2025.
