English Whisky Festival 2026

The English Whisky Festival returns to The Bond on Saturday 21 November, now in its fifth year. It's run by Exploring English Whisky, and they're calling this one their biggest yet. The whole day is built around a commemorative branded tasting glass that you keep and sip from as you work your way through the room, hearing the stories behind each dram often directly from the distilleries' founders and teams.

There will be more than 30 English distilleries and independent bottlers under one roof, and every stand represents a proudly English dram. The line-up spotlights one of the country's fastest-growing spirits categories, with corn, rye, single malt and English blends alongside festival exclusives and limited bottlings. If you're into the more focused side of things, small-group masterclasses run throughout the afternoon, led by Cooper King, Abingdon Distillery, Ellers Farm Distillery/Three Ridings, Cotswolds Distillery and Lancaster. Beyond the tasting, there's a street food court, an artisan coffee van and a whisky shop run by Digital Distiller to round out the day.

The setting fits the occasion: The Bond is a canal-side regeneration success story in Birmingham, and the festival describes itself as the world's only dedicated celebration of English whisky and the largest gathering of English distilleries anywhere. It's a one-day affair on Saturday 21 November, from 12:00pm to 5:00pm, with doors opening at 12:00, the last pour at 16:45 and closing at 17:00. General admission is £50 for over 18s, and masterclasses are £15 each.