Wylye Distillery
About the distillery
Wylye Distillery is based at Windmill Farm in the Wylye Valley and produces single malt whisky with a short local route from field to malt. The barley is grown at Manor Farm, just ten miles from Warminster Maltings, where it is floor-malted before being sent back to the valley. For the whisky enthusiast, the connection between the farm's Laureate barley, the historic maltings and the distillery's old farmstead is the core of the story.
History
The story behind Wylye Distillery begins with two local agricultural and malting communities. Warminster Maltings was built in 1855 and continues to operate as the UK's oldest active maltings. The town of Warminster once had a strong malting tradition; in 1720 there were 36 maltings in the town. Manor Farm in the Wylye Valley was established in 1913 by Henry Collins' grandfather, and it is today run by Henry Collins. The farm's barley has become the starting point for the distillery's whisky. Before the current practice was established, shorter trials were carried out with various barley types, including the historic Maris Otter variety. Today all barley for Wylye comes from Manor Farm and is malted at Warminster Maltings. The finished malt then goes on to Windmill Farm, an old farmstead with the Haybarn, Cowsheds, Stables and Dairy buildings. Wylye Distillery is based here, and this is where whisky production begins.
Raw materials and production
Production at Wylye Distillery is based on barley from Manor Farm in the Wylye Valley. The farm grows Laureate, sown in the spring after light cultivation of the fields. Growing conditions include a stable, mild maritime climate, thin soil over chalk and a soil type described as "old arable black puff". When the barley is harvested, it is transported the short distance to Warminster Maltings, about ten miles from the distillery. There the barley is steeped and floor-malted using traditional floor malting. Warminster Maltings was built in 1855 and is still in operation, linking Wylye's raw material processing to one of the UK's oldest working maltings. The distillery has previously tried varieties including Maris Otter, but now uses only barley from Manor Farm, malted at Warminster. The steeped and malted barley is then sent on to Windmill Farm. The old farm complex houses the Haybarn, Cowsheds, Stables and Dairy, each with its own function, and at this address the process continues as whisky production.
Philosophy and craftsmanship
Wylye Distillery builds its whisky on a local supply chain in the Wylye Valley. The barley comes from Manor Farm, run by Henry Collins, and is malted at Warminster Maltings before production continues at Windmill Farm. The choice of Laureate follows earlier trials including the historic Maris Otter variety. At the same time, the distillery maintains a link to traditional floor malting at a maltings that has been in operation since 1855.