London Distillery Company Renascence - The Revival Release

Tomorrow will see the first release from the Renascence of the London Distillery Company

An interesting bottling reaching back to the distillery initial opening in 2011

The London Distillery Company’s (TLDC) roots stretch back to 1807, when entrepreneur and engineer Ralph Dodd set out to challenge the status quo of spirit production. Dodd envisioned a distillery that would produce spirits of the highest quality, free from adulteration and mass-market shortcuts. His bold plan promised to deliver purity and integrity at a time when the industry was plagued by inferior products. Unfortunately the distillery was never built.

Other distilleries have been built in London, the last one Lea Valley Distillery closing in 1903.

The next London Distillery Company was established in 2011, occupying part of a Victorian Diary in Battersea, like most modern distilleries it resembled the working innards of a steampunk submarine; yards of copper piping snaking across bare brick walls with pressure dials, explosion-proof lighting and two German hand crafted copper stills - a 650 litres copper pot still with a 4 plate distillation column being used for whisky, the other for gin. Darren Rook and chief distiller Andrew MacLeod Smith started distilling in December 2013. 

Over the next 7 years, the distillery laid down a number of whisky casks, but after a few ownership changes it finally closed in 2020, leaving behind an unfinished dream.

In 2023 Indie Bottler Gleann Mor Spirits Company bought the remaining stock of the now demolished distillery and in 2025 brought in Matt McKay as their Managing Director and Whisky Maker to take care of the remaining 70ish casks and look at reviving the historic distillery's name.

The plan is to release the remaining whisky to the world and possibly even build a new distillery to continue whisky making.

I'd previously tried a LDC release here, it was very young but showed promise! What Matt has done is combine whisky from refill ex-bourbon barrels and first fill sherry casks to create a revival release called Renascence. An interesting word which Google describes as :

"Renascence" refers to a revival, rebirth, or new beginning, often of something that was dormant or forgotten. It's a formal word that suggests a resurgence of interest, activity, or vitality in a specific area, subject, or field. The word is related to "Renaissance," which is a more common and broader term for the historical period of rebirth in Europe. 

Enough history - let's try the whisky, TLDC sent me a beautiful box containing a sample of their new release. The pizza box style packaging was decorated with the blue prints of the original distillery.

Inside a beautiful picture - the iconic River Thames flowing through London with the addition of a band of gold running through it!

Inside, a triangular box bearing the new TLDC logo (loosely based on the original 1807 logo - a triangle with a new element : a liquid drop, falling into the London Basin) reveals 3 samples: 58% Renascence, an upcoming English Blend release The Golden Union at 50% and an unusual 12yo English Apple Brandy at a powerful 71.1%.

An amazing bit of design across the sample packaging, tube and bottle from my good mate John Bassman!

Distillery thoughts:

Crafted from heritage barley, 1920’s brewers’ yeasts and matured in a variety of American, Spanish and English oak casks, every London single malt whisky we create is reflective of the company’s original founding ethos – to emphasise the flavours of the past and the nuances of traditional whisky making.

This ‘revival release’ of 410 bottles has been crafted from Plumage Archer heritage barley and has been matured in a combination of the distillery’s remaining refill barrels and 1st fill sherry casks. Bottled at slightly less than cask strength at 58% ABV

Nose: Hedgerow berries and orange oils join a deep maltiness from fruitcake and spiced molasses, whilst fine pastries offer additional delectable sweetness.

Palate: Stewed red and black berries give way to earthiness and toasted oak, whilst dark chocolate and cashew nuts play alongside tingly cask char and expressive roasted barley. The development reveals delightful floral notes of rosehips and Turkish delight.

Finish: A lingering finish of warming cinnamon and peppery cask char.

My thoughts:

Appearance: Bright gold in the glass, swirls leave thin lines which take an age to bead up and eventually fall as slow thin oily legs.

Nose: Orchard fruit to start: pears, apricots, peaches and a hint of spiced apple. There's a little toffee, blueberries, strawberries and a hint of acetone. A little time and air offers dried fruit, dates and a little hint of smoke. Orange zest and a little honey round things off.

Palate: Thick sweet arrival: golden syrup, drying icing sugar and a bite of ginger spice. The ABV makes itself known from the start. The orchard fruit is all but replaced by berries on the palate: strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and some blackcurrant hints. It's very juicy in the mouth. Some vanilla, prunes and figs join the party. The sherry influence is much more noticeable on the palate than the nose. Again a little time in the glass and some air mellow the spice and the dram offers a complex medley of berries, tropical fruit and honey. There's some fruit and nut chocolate and a little sour grapefruit with a little hint of smoke or cask char as the liquid disappears.

 

Finish: Lingering ginger spice, berries, dried fruit and citrus zest.

Summary: I'm guessing that this is at least a decade old by now, the promise I first saw in the 3yo has come through, lots of complexity dominated by the sherry casks but balanced by orchard fruit and vanilla from the bourbon. A lovely dram and I'm looking forward to buying a bottle tomorrow to enjoy!