About This Partnership
Digital Distiller has partnered with Exploring English Whisky, run by Richard Foster, to support the English Whisky Festival and wider tastings across the category. The products gathered on this page are ones that regularly feature in Exploring English Whisky's tastings and festival pours, alongside Richard's own background below.
What to Expect at the English Whisky Festival
The English Whisky Festival runs each November in Birmingham and brings together the majority of England's working whisky distilleries under one roof for tastings, talks and new releases. It's the best single opportunity in the English whisky calendar to taste across the category in one visit, and Digital Distiller attends alongside Richard each year.
About Richard
A South Londoner born and bred, Richard first became fascinated with whisky whilst working alongside Diageo at content and marketing agencies in the mid-2000s. Initiating local whisky tastings as a hobby, Richard found his passion for sharing his love of, and fascination with, whisky.
During lockdown Richard (like many others) pivoted to online tastings and organised a St. George's Day English Whisky tasting for 50 people after sharing a bottle of Cotswolds Signature single malt at a Six Nations themed whisky night. The success of that event led to two online English Whisky Festivals and at the start of 2023 Richard quit his job to focus on building both Exploring English Whisky and the English Whisky Festival, which was held that November in person for the first time.
Richard has subsequently been invited to host English Whisky events across the UK, write for various whisky & drinks publications and judge spirits awards.
Where to Explore Next
If this page has introduced you to English whisky for the first time, our English Whisky collection is the best general starting point, and English Whisky Bestsellers is a reasonable way to see what other customers return to. For something more specific, Award Winning English Whisky gathers bottles with independent recognition, and English Single Malt Whisky narrows things to a single style if that's what you're after.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is Exploring English Whisky?
A: It's Richard Foster's tasting and events business, dedicated to English whisky specifically, and the organiser behind the English Whisky Festival.
Q: When and where is the English Whisky Festival?
A: It takes place each November in Birmingham. Check Exploring English Whisky's own site for the current year's exact dates and tickets.
Q: Do I need to already know about whisky to attend?
A: No. The festival and Richard's tastings are built for curious drinkers as much as collectors, with producers on hand to talk through their own whisky.
Q: Does Digital Distiller run its own stand at the festival?
A: Yes, Digital Distiller has a physical presence at the English Whisky Festival each year alongside Richard and the attending distilleries.
