Cotswolds Distillery - Dan Szor

Say hello to Dan Szor. He’s the founder of the Cotswolds Distillery, a pioneering whisky distillery that has learned the rules like a pro, only to break them like an artist. Working with master distillers Jim McEwan from Bruichladdich and whisky veteran Harry Cockburn from Bowmore, the Cotswolds Distillery was one of only 4 English whisky distilleries when it was founded in 2014. Now there are 55.  Working with the next generation of distilling talent, Dan was eager to hire talent but rent experience, supplemented by locals who helped with operations like bottling and peeling fruit for the gin, their first market-ready product. A cloudy gin that shrugged off negative aspersions from the gin world, turning it into a distinguishable brand asset for what has now become a go-to for Cotswold folk and visitors, alike.  For the distillery, the gin was only a stop-gap before the real work on the whisky could begin. His ‘barley epiphany’ in the early 2010’s saw him imagine a new way of making whisky. One that didn’t have to be a heavy hitting whisky from the peaty terroir and harsh water of Scotland but could instead be a softer, younger, fruit-forward liquid made from locally sourced Cotswolds barley, enhanced by a range of carefully sourced barrels that give it the ‘real’ flavour.  They now have a wonderful range of whiskies on offer from their legendary ‘Founders Choice’, my personal favourites of the ‘Sherry Casks’ and ‘Bourbon Casks’ as well as more experimental, limited editions and liqueurs. In this episode we talk about whether a healthy dose of naivety or his American chutzpah inspired him to re-write the rules of whisky making, whether it’s best to learn an industry from the top or the bottom, and where following a passion can take you. So pour yourself a ‘contemplative dram’, take a sip and tune in.