West Midlands Distillery debuts first single malt whisky
You can buy West Midlands Distillery whisky from Master of Malt now.
West Midlands’ first single malt is here. It’s not from a remote glen, a foggy island, or a barn-turned-brand in the Home Counties. It’s from the Black Country. And it’s loud, proud, and flame-fired.
We’ve had so many new whisky launches over the last decade or so, and the English whisky scene is swelling enough that simply being English and new isn’t enough anymore. You need to stand out because what you do has purpose and personality.
The West Midlands Distillery (WMD*) promises that with an inaugural whisky that ditches heritage cosplay in favour of local pride and flavour driven by craft. Not the idea of ‘craft’ that people whack on labels or centre lame marketing campaigns around, but the genuine approach of making whisky like you care about it.
Say hello to Jordan Lunn and The Matriarch
A Spirit Born of the Midlands
The distillery was founded in 2019 on the Dudley–Birmingham border by Jordan Lunn, a self-taught distiller who began tinkering with copper and fire in his teens. What started as homemade stills in sheds has evolved.
“We’re not here to follow tradition for tradition’s sake,” says Lunn. “We’re here to make a whisky that stands on its own, with a modern Midlands edge.”
His single malt is made entirely on site from locally sourced malted barley, distilled in flame-heated stills, matured in a mix of first-fill bourbon, oloroso sherry, and rum casks, and then bottled non-chill filtered at 52% ABV.
The flame-heating from open fires is a particular point of pride for Lunn, who loves this gloriously inefficient technique that builds big, textured spirit with all the finesse of a blacksmith making pastries. He compares it to the slow food movement. Only it’s better. Because, you know, it’s whisky.
West Midlands Distillery debuts its first single malt whisky, and they’re all here!
The First Release: Four Casks, One Matriarch
The debut release consists of just 900 bottles, each one hand-painted and drawn from four distinct casks. Each cask reflects a different member of Lunn’s family, which is the kind of detail that often gets balled up with the rest of the typical backstory fluff, but feels sincere here.
The flagship bottling is The Matriarch, a blend of all four casks, created in honour of Jordan’s late mother, who helped build the distillery and inspire the whisky from day one. See what I mean?
Black Country, Rising
This single malt release follows the distillery’s success with cask-aged rum and small-batch gin, but it’s just the beginning.
Later this year, WMD will open a new urban maturation warehouse and visitor experience, bringing whisky fans directly into the heart of Birmingham.
It’s a compelling image. Whisky from steel beams and city bricks. Fuelled by stubborn pride, curiosity, and direct flames. It promises big things. Let’s see how it delivers.
West Midlands Distillery whisky has finally arrived
You can buy West Midlands Distillery whisky from Master of Malt now.
*A name that feels pleasingly subversive…
The post West Midlands Distillery debuts first single malt whisky appeared first on Master of Malt blog.