Sibling Yorkshire coast businesses shortlisted in national farming awards

The teams at Yorkshire's first whisky distillery and a Yorkshire coast brewery are celebrating after being shortlisted for a prestigious farming award.

Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery and sister company Wold Top Brewery have reached the final of the Diversification of the Year (Large) category in the 12th annual British Farming Awards.

Co-founder of both Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery and Wold Top, Tom Mellor, said: "We're proud that Hunmanby Grange farm sustains the two businesses with home-grown barley and provides employment for over 40 local people. We're naturally delighted to have been shortlisted for a second prestigious farming award."

Wold Top is run by Mellor's daughter, Kate and husband Alex Balchin, and his other daughter, Jenni Ashwood, is the marketing director at Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery. Both businesses have also been shortlisted for Diversification Farmer of the Year at the Farmers' Weekly Awards.

The winners will be announced at a dinner at The Vox, Birmingham on October 17th. The teams from the brewery and distillery face competition from Scottish businesses The Rhynd and Marshall's Farm Shop and Kitchen, Otter Tarn in the Lake District and Staffordshire business Play at Lower Drayton Farm.

The British Farming Awards, sponsored by Morrisons and organised by Farmers Guardian, celebrate pioneering farmers across all sectors who are leading in areas of technology, science, food production and sustainability. The black-tie event is attended by more than 800 farmers and industry professionals from across the UK.

Home to Filey Bay single malt whisky, Spirit of Yorkshire is a field-to-bottle distillery that was launched in 2016. Its first single malt whisky was bottled in 2019. It is a collaboration between Tom Mellor and business partner David Thompson. It is one of only a handful of distilleries worldwide that uses 100% home-grown barley to produce its whisky.

Established in 2003, Wold Top brews cask, keg and bottled ales from home and Wolds grown malting barley, hops and pure, chalk-filtered Yorkshire Wolds water.