Single Cask Whisky from Yorkshire Distillery Selected for Retailer Bottling

Ever get that feeling when you find something truly rare? Like a limited-edition pair of trainers or the last slice of your favourite cake. Well, for whisky fans, that feeling is about to hit, thanks to a brilliant team-up in Yorkshire. The county's first single malt whisky distillery, Spirit of Yorkshire, has partnered with one of the biggest names in whisky retail, The Whisky Shop, to create something very special indeed.

They've bottled a unique, single cask whisky, and with only a handful of bottles available, it’s a release that has people talking. This exclusive release is a testament to the distillery's exceptional production process and the strong relationship between two key players in the whisky world.

A match made in Yorkshire

This isn't just a case of a shop sticking its label on a bottle. This is a proper collaboration, born from a long-standing friendship. In fact, Spirit of Yorkshire's whisky director, Joe Clark, used to work for The Whisky Shop, so the connection runs deep. It’s this kind of relationship that leads to amazing things. When a distillery and a retailer know each other inside out, they can work together to pick something they know customers will absolutely love. The team at Yorkshire’s first single malt whisky distillery has created a limited-edition whisky that showcases the best of what they do, and The Whisky Shop is the perfect partner to bring these special bottles to the public. It's a project that celebrates a shared passion for great single malt whisky.

The result is Filey Bay Single Cask #3521, an exclusive release that launched on the 11th of April. With only 294 bottles in existence, this is about as limited as it gets. These bottles are being sold in just 13 of The Whisky Shop's 23 UK stores, making them even more sought-after. It’s a genuine exclusive, a single whisky from a single source, hand-picked for a specific retailer. This kind of partnership highlights the community feel within the whisky industry, where shared expertise and history can lead to a truly unique production.

What makes this whisky so special?

So, what’s all the fuss about? It comes down to a few key things that make this Filey Bay whisky stand out from the crowd. It’s not just any old dram; every detail has been carefully considered, from the cask it grew up in to the strength at which it was bottled. For anyone new to whisky, these terms can sound a bit complicated, but they're actually simple ideas that make a massive difference to the taste in your glass.

• Single Cask: Think of it like this. Most whisky is a blend of spirits from lots of different barrels, or casks, to create a consistent flavour. A single cask whisky is different. It’s all from one, individual cask. This means its character is totally unique. Once it's gone, it's gone forever. You'll never taste another whisky exactly like it. This particular single whisky comes from cask #3521.

• Ex-Pedro Ximenez Sherry Cask: The wooden casks a whisky matures in give it most of its flavour. This one spent its life in a barrel that used to hold a very sweet, dark sherry called Pedro Ximenez (or 'PX' for short). This has given the whisky an incredibly rich and fruity profile. A Pedro Ximenez sherry cask is known for imparting deep, dessert-like notes.

• Cask Strength: When whisky is bottled, it's often diluted with water to a standard strength (usually around 40-46%). This one is bottled at cask strength, which means it’s straight from the barrel at a punchy 58.2%. It's whisky in its purest, most intense form.

The official description says it all. The whisky is described as ‘rich, soft and spicy with flavours of dried fruit, dark chocolate, caramel and toasted oak’. It sounds more like a decadent dessert than a drink, which is all thanks to that lovely Pedro Ximenez sherry cask. It’s a single malt whisky designed for savouring.

The tough job of choosing the one

Imagine being told you have to spend a day in a chilly warehouse sampling six different, delicious whiskies to find the perfect one. Sounds like a tough gig, right? That was the job for Christopher Dunn, the manager of The Whisky Shop in York. He was tasked with nosing and tasting his way through six different casks suggested by the Spirit of Yorkshire team to find the star of the show for this exclusive release.

Mr Dunn explained the experience: "It was a fantastic day! I spent a lot of time with Joe the whisky maker, talking about the business and the flavour profiles of each sample, carefully considering what the customer or collector would be looking for from a single cask Filey Bay. There were at least three serious contenders from the casks I tried, but all were dangerously tasty and easy to drink considering we were tasting at a chilly 5 degrees Celsius. We settled on a crowd pleaser; a big, bold, fruity PX sherry cask influence that plays nicely with Spirit of Yorkshire's bright citrusy character, so it's not just a sticky toffee pud of a dram, but nuanced and tropical, with loads of aromatic spice.”

From field to bottle

What makes the Spirit of Yorkshire distillery so interesting is its "field-to-bottle" approach. This isn't just a slogan; it’s the core of how they work. The whole process is handled right there on their farm. The company is a collaboration between a farmer, Tom Mellor, and his business partner, David Thompson, who also happens to be a brewer. They use 100% homegrown barley, which is incredibly rare in the world of whisky production. It means they have complete control over the quality of their main ingredient, from the moment the seed is planted to the day the final spirit is bottled. This dedication has paid off, with the distillery being named one of the top 50 spirits producers in the world in 2025.

Spirit of Yorkshire’s whisky director, Joe Clark, is clearly proud of this exclusive release. He said: “The Whisky Shop has been supporting the whisky industry for decades by introducing people to the incredible world of whisky. Our single cask bottlings represent the rarest and most spectacular casks in our warehouse, with only a handful of these beautiful ex-Pedro Ximenez casks ever being bottled by us. To bottle this whisky exclusively for The Whisky Shop in our tenth year of production and in celebration of a brilliant relationship is something we are immensely proud of. As one of only 14 single cask bottlings we have released in the UK in our ten year history, Filey Bay Cask #3521 is a unique and truly delicious whisky for one of the UK’s best whisky retailers. These bottles are very unlikely to be around for long.”

How to get your hands on one

If this special Yorkshire whisky sounds like your cup of tea (or dram of whisky), you’ll need to be quick. With so few bottles available, they are expected to sell out fast. Here are the key details:

Detail Information Whisky Name Filey Bay Single Cask #3521 Distillery Spirit of Yorkshire Number of Bottles 294 Price £125 for a 70cl bottle Where to Buy Selected English stores of The Whisky Shop, including York, Leeds, Manchester and Newcastle.

This single cask bottling is a celebration of everything that makes the modern whisky scene so exciting: collaboration, quality ingredients, and a focus on unique, flavour-packed spirits. It’s a piece of Yorkshire distillery history, available for a fleeting moment.