Circumstance Distillery has been awarded Best New English Distillery at the English Whisky Awards, recognising its rapid rise as one of the most innovative new producers in the UK whisky landscape.
The award, announced by the English Whisky Awards, celebrates excellence across England’s whisky industry and highlights distilleries demonstrating outstanding quality, innovation, and contribution to the category.
Circumstance Distillery is widely regarded as part of a new generation redefining English whisky. Based in Bristol, it is believed to be the first distillery to produce whisky in the city in more than 80 years, marking a revival of a long-dormant local whisky tradition and helping re-establish Bristol as a meaningful location on the UK spirits map.
Since its founding, the distillery has developed a reputation for its “flavour-first” philosophy, focusing on experimentation across every stage of production – from organic grain selection and fermentation techniques through to yeast expression and cask maturation.
Drawing inspiration from craft brewing, Circumstance prioritises process-led innovation and small-batch experimentation, exploring how early production decisions shape flavour long before maturation.
Liam Hirt, founder of Circumstance Distillery, says: “We’ve always believed whisky starts long before the still – it begins with grain, fermentation, and process. This award is a huge recognition of that approach and the team’s commitment to doing things differently.
“Bringing whisky production back to Bristol after so many decades is something we’re incredibly proud of. We’re not just making whisky here – we’re helping rebuild a local whisky culture in a city with a deep history of fermentation and spirits.
“We see ourselves as part of a wider shift in English whisky. The category is still young, which gives us space to experiment, refine, and ultimately create something distinctive.”
