Birmingham has reached a historic milestone with the launch of its first ever legal whisky, made by siblings Anthony Dillon and Joanie Doyle.
After years of dedication and overcoming challenges, their distillery, Spirit of Birmingham, has officially launched the city into the global whiskey spotlight.
Founded during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Spirit of Birmingham is rooted in the siblings’ passion for creating exceptional spirits and their love for the city where they grew up. Over the past three and a half years they have meticulously honed their craft, using English-grown, heirloom varieties of barley to create a whiskey that reflects their commitment to quality and tradition.
This week the distillery reached a major milestone: their first barrels exceeded the required three-year maturation point for whisky. This achievement makes Spirit of Birmingham the city’s first legal whiskey distillery, an achievement that is monumental not only for the company, but for Birmingham as a whole.
Anthony Dillon expressed his pride in the project, saying: “We wanted to create something very special, not just for ourselves, but for the city we love. It’s incredible to see our whiskey finally coming of age. This has been a labor of love, and we couldn’t be prouder to bring Birmingham its first legal whiskey.”
Despite the complexity of regulations in the spirits industry, which is often dominated by large corporations, Anthony and Joanie successfully navigated the licensing process. Their perseverance has paid off: Spirit of Birmingham has already won four prestigious awards and established itself as a rising star in the English whiskey scene.