The Spirit of Yorkshire

Newspaper clipping from the 1990s which discusses Tom and Gill Mellor winning planning permission for wind turbines at Hunmanby Grange, the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery Farm. 06/09/2020

Growing: Wind Power

We’ve talked before about our direct drilling trial which we’re aiming to harvest this weekend but that’s not the only way that we work with natural resources to sustainably make our Filey Bay single malt whisky and the beer at Wold Top Brewery. Co-founder Tom’s long been an advocate of wind power and pushing for sustainable farming methods. That’s the thing about being up on a hill just in-land from the north sea… it’s a fairly rare day when it’s not blowing! He first applied for, and won, planning permission... Read More

Filey Day Yorkshire Day 2020 single malt whisky paired with Shepherd Purse's Yorkshire Blue cheese in the sunshine atop Ingleborough 04/09/2020

Enjoying: Field to Bottle to… mountain?!

We have some very dedicated friends of the distillery! Recently our bottles have been to the top of the three Yorkshire Peaks alongside cheese pairings from one of our local favourites Shepherds Purse (thanks Matt, that’s dedication) and on Yorkshire Day, Chris ran a bottle of Filey Bay STR Finish to the top of Scafell Pike. Where next…?! 

Le Chameau boots with a bottle of Filey Bay Moscatel Finish Single Malt Whisky 01/09/2020
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Living: Partnering with Le Chameau

Any countryside dweller will tell you that not all wellies are made equal. There’s nothing worse than confidently striding through a puddle on a lane, or walking through the shallows on the beach, and feeling that awful sensation of a wet sock. Or strolling round a muddy farm show and finding that your boots are rubbing and your feet hurt for a week afterwards… It’s even more important on the farm or in the still house. You want boots that are comfy, breathable and that don’t ruin your soles (and... Read More

Eat Out to Help Out at the Pot Still Coffee Shop at the Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery 30/08/2020

Enjoying: Eat Out to Help Out

Since the beginning of August, we’ve been taking part in the Eat Out to Help Out scheme and it’s been so great to see so many friendly, familiar and new faces every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday here at the Pot Still Coffee Shop. The scheme finishes very soon though so you’ve got until 4pm tomorrow to make the most of 50% off (up to £10). Though we’re afraid whisky and beer aren’t included!

Brewer Andrew fills ex-Filey Bay Whisky Casks with a specially brewed beer for our second barrel aged beer with the Wold Top Brewery 28/08/2020

Distilling: Ebb and Flow Barrel Aged Beer 2020

Barrel aged beers are a thing of beauty and last year we collaborated with our sister company, The Wold Top Brewery, to release ‘Swell.’  Alex and the team at Wold Top brewed a special recipe, designed to complement the flavours of the casks used for our Maturing Malt Distillery Projects 003 (which was awarded 95/100 by Jim Murray in this year’s whisky bible). The result was the deliciously dark and rich ‘Swell,’ the first in our Ebb and Flow barrel aged series, which came in at 12% and was full... Read More

Dolphins spotted off the North Yorkshire Coast 07/08/2020

Living: Yorkshire Coast Dolphins

We’re spoilt with wildlife in this part of the world – buzzards, owls, hares, deer, puffins, gannets and seals. But dolphins are a bit more unusual. A couple of the team were out for a sail one evening this week up near Sandsend when they were joined by this playful pod. And actually, dolphins are becoming a more regular occurrence along this coastline. According to the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, they particularly like Flamborough Head (which marks the southern point of Filey Bay) because cold water from the north meets warmer water... Read More

Together in Spirit: the Wold Top and Spirit of Yorkshire Playlist. 17/04/2020

Enjoying: ‘Together in Spirit’ – our Spotify playlist

We’re big fans of music here at Spirit of Yorkshire, as well as at our sister brewery The Wold Top Brewery. So in lieu of the regular live music at the distillery and brewery (and to give us a really nice way of feeling connected, even though we’re all apart), we’ve compiled a joint playlist of the team’s favourite songs for enjoying a glass (or more…) of something delicious to. Each team member from both Wold Top and SOY has been asked to submit a few songs that they love... Read More

David on WhiskyCast Live Stream 08.04.2020 15/04/2020

Living: David on WhiskyCast

Last week David, one of our two co-founders, was part of a live stream panel hosted by Mark Gillespie of the critically acclaimed whisky podcast WhiskyCast. Along with a number of leaders in the world of whisky (from ex- Gordon & MacPhail MD Michael Urquhart to Allison Parc of Brenne Whisky), they discussed everything from our latest release Filey Bay Moscatel Finish, to the long term impact that the CoronaVirus will have on the industry… as well as sharing which drams they were enjoying as they spoke! Listen to the... Read More

DP002 and Hot Cross Buns 14/04/2020

Enjoying: Locally-sourced Hot Cross Buns with DP002

A different kind of Easter this year. We toasted the weekend with a glass of our Maturing Malt Distillery Projects 002, which we released in Spring 2018 and which has notes of honeycomb and hot cross buns. Needless to say, that called for a baked accompaniment and despite the shortages of flour and yeast, our local suppliers had the right things in stock! We used both a recipe and flour from Side Oven, a farm-based bakery from nearby Driffield. Our eggs came from Trotters Farm Shop on the edge of... Read More

Conventional Drilling at the Spirit of Yorkshire Farm, March 2020 13/04/2020

Growing: Planting our Barley

In the last fortnight we’ve planted all our barley for this summer’s crop (and next year’s whisky). As discussed in our previous post, 130 acres of this have been direct drilled straight into the cover crop that was drilled into the stubble after last year’s harvest. Around 75 acres has been planted conventionally. Here’s a video of Tom talking about direct drilling in more detail (click here to view).