Walthamstow distillery ‘first in 200 years to make brandy in London’

A distillery in Walthamstow claims to have made the first brandy in London in more than 200 years.

The distilling took place on Wednesday (June 7) at Burnt Faith’s Brandy House, watched by a small group of guests.

Simon Wright, Burnt Faith CEO and founder (left) and master distiller Oliver Kitson (right) led the event (Image: James Barber)

Chief executive Simon Wright said: “Tonight is the culmination of a three-year journey, which started with a trip to Cognac which left me inspired not by what Cognac was but what it never could be.

“There has been such little liquid innovation in Cognac due to the strict appellation rules, none of which apply here.

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“So, without those rules we’re free to imagine a brandy without borders and unlock the full potential of this incredible spirit and bring it to a new audience in a fun, engaging way.

“Experimenting with different grape varieties and cask finishes is just the start, so watch this space as we’re going to be having a lot more fun here…”

The brandy house is already up and running, and its first batch, Burnt Faith Batch 001, was made in the UK and released in April.

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Batch 001 was blended and matured in the UK from four grape varieties, including non-traditional aromatic varietals.

The Charentais still is used to distill the brandy (Image: James Barber)

The batch has also been aged in four different wood casks, including experimental cherry liqueur casks from Ukraine.

The urban distillery opened in March and features what Burnt Faith said is the only Charentais still (the equipment used to make the liqueur) in the UK to be producing brandy.