The team at Yorkshire’s first single malt whisky distillery is hosting an Open Day with specialist masterclasses next month.

Spirit of Yorkshire’s Open Day will take place at its distillery in Hunmanby, North Yorkshire between 12 noon and 6.30pm on Saturday 29th July and visitors will be able to join in with a host of whisky-related activities from tasting sessions to masterclasses and distillery tours.

Spirit of Yorkshire’s director and co-founder, David Thompson is looking forward to welcoming people to Yorkshire’s first whisky distillery and the home of Filey Bay:

“Throughout the day, there will be opportunities for visitors to go on a distillery tour, taste our whisky, join in with masterclasses and see the direct drilling farm machinery that is changing the way we grow the barley for our whisky. Visitors will also be among the first to sample and buy Filey Bay Yorkshire Day 2023 Special Release single malt whisky.

“We’re also very excited to be introducing two new special masterclasses at this year’s event: ‘Fresh from the cask’ and ‘Around the World’. Over the past couple of years, we’ve worked with our importers around the world on a number of exclusive Single Casks, relevant for each country. For this hour-long Masterclass, we’ll be trying and talking about six of these, in a seated tasting setting. These whiskies have never been poured by us here in the UK before and are sold out in their release markets, so it promises to be a great and unique session. During the ‘Fresh from the Cask’ session visitors will taste six drams of whisky drawn straight from the cask.”

There will also be two free masterclasses on the main stage: ‘Field to bottle’ with a focus on home grown barley and regenerative farming and ‘Pairing with Principle’ featuring Sheffield business Bullion Chocolate, talking about their bean-to-bar ethos.

Scarborough business, Embers will be serving wood-fired lunches and the Wold Top Brewery mobile bar will be serving a range of beers. Local producers will also be at the distillery, sharing their stories and offering samples, as well as selling produce and products for visitors to take home.

Adult Open Day tickets cost £15 when pre-booked or £20 on the door and include a distillery tour and tasting and a Spirit of Yorkshire nosing glass. Child tickets (6 to 17 years) cost £5.00 and include a distillery tour (but no tasting) and under 6’s are free, but they cannot join a distillery tour. Tickets for the masterclasses cost £45 per session. Pre-booking online is advisable, but tickets may be available on the day, subject to availability for both the Open Day and the masterclasses.

The Pot Still Coffee Shop will be serving hot drinks and homemade cakes throughout the day.

Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery is one of only a handful of distilleries worldwide that grows 100% of the barley used for its whisky production. It is a collaboration between farmer and brewer, Tom Mellor from Wold Top Brewery and business partner, David Thompson.

Photo: MD David Thompson who will lead the ‘Around the World’ masterclass