The wire factory on the edge of Matlock Bath opened in 1849 to supply cable to the newly industrialised Midlands. White Peak Distillery moved into it in 2016, building their stills where the wire-drawing machines once stood. The Wire Works Bourbon Barrel - matured exclusively in first-fill ex-bourbon casks, bottled at 53.4% ABV, non-chill-filtered, no colouring - is the most uncompromising expression in their range. Fermentation uses fresh brewer’s yeast sourced from Thornbridge Brewery ten miles up the A6, which pulls forward a distinct fresh-fruit note that sets it apart from the cereal-forward English malt mainstream. In 2024, it was named Best World Whisky at the Online Scotch Whisky Awards - a category named for the incumbent. The judges preferred it to everything Scotland entered that year. At £65 direct from the distillery, it is significantly underpriced for what it is.

£65 - whitepeakdistillery.co.uk