In the 1887 book The Whisky Distilleries of the United Kingdom by Alfred Barnard, the following English distilleries were listed:

Lea Valley Distillery, Stratford, London (founded in the late 19th century) – produced both grain and malt whisky.

• Bank Hall Distillery (Liverpool) – produced grain and malt whisky
• Bristol Distillery (founded in the 17th century) – produced grain whisky which was “sent to Scotland and Ireland to make a Blended Scotch and Irish whisky, for whisky purpose it is specially adapted, and stands in high favour”.
• Vauxhall Distillery in Liverpool (founded in 1781) – produced grain whisky

In 2003, St Austell Brewery & Healey Cyder Farm announced the first production of a “Cornish” single malt whisky in 300 years. Although no substantial evidence exists that whisky was ever produced in Cornwall, it was the first commercial whisky to be produced in England in almost a century. The partnership released a seven-year-old whisky in September 2011.

The English Whisky Co. Ltd, founded by farmer James Nelstrop in 2006, started production and released a three-year-old product in 2009. This has been followed by sequentially numbered Chapter bottlings with varied alcohol by volume and flavour profiles.

The Adnams Brewery in October 2010 began production of vodka and gin, but in 2011 started to lay down stock of new spirit to be aged into single malt whisky.

In 2013 The London Distillery Company began production of the first single malt whisky in London since Lea Valley Distillery closed in 1903.

Two other English distilleries also producing whisky as of 2014 are The Lakes Distillery and the Cotswolds Distillery.