Oxford News
Inside the award-winning distillery nestled in the Cotswolds
Temperatures have been rising throughout this summer with successive heatwaves, leaving us all in need of a drink, and fortunately, I knew just the place.
The Cotswolds Distillery at Shipston-on-Stour, just over the Oxfordshire border, is a wonderful place for a trip out come rain or shine.
It is a business that we can be proud to have on our doorstep, with it not only being England’s largest producer of whisky but also the winner of Best English Whisky and Best English Whisky Distillery at the English Whisky Awards this year.
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Before our tour, we stopped at the on-site café for lunch, where I had a bacon bagel, served with salad.
A fresh and generous serving was exactly what was needed before an afternoon of whisky and gin tasting.
As an existing fan of Cotswolds Distillery’s whisky, I was already looking forward to finding out more about how one of my favourite drams is made.
Our guide, duty manager Daisy Kerby-Smith, began the 90-minute tour with a short film about the distillery with founder Daniel Szor.
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Mr Szor, a New Yorker, worked in finance in London for many years before moving to the Cotswolds with his family.
Inspired by his love of whisky and the fields of barley surrounding his new home, he established the distillery in 2014.
After passing through a corridor full of the various awards won by the distillery, the tour continued with the original stills, now used to make gin.
One is named Dolly, after Dolly Parton, because she works “9 to 5” producing Cotswolds Dry Gin, which was a joke that earned a hearty laugh from our group.
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Daisy then took us into the whisky production area, where the impressive copper stills gave a real sense of the scale involved.
She explained how the clear, high-strength spirit is produced through distillation before it is then matured in casks.
This then, of course, creates the whisky’s eventual colour and the flavour nuances which combine for its eventual character.
Our final stop before the tasting was the cask warehouse, where the rich aroma was almost as memorable as any of the whisky itself.
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The barrels had previously held sherry, wine, bourbon or Madeira among other alcohols, and it was fascinating to see the dates and signatures marked across them, with casks set to wait several years before being collected by owners.
We then returned for the tasting, where I was able to try the full Cotswolds Distillery range of whisky.
These included the Signature Single Malt, Reserve, Founder’s Choice, Bourbon Cask, Sherry Cask and Peated Cask expressions.
All were excellent, though the Signature Single Malt and Reserve stood out as personal favourites.
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I also tried the standard gin and, despite not usually being a gin drinker, thoroughly enjoyed it.
Daisy was an excellent host: knowledgeable, approachable and happy to answer every question put to her.
This same friendly attitude was evident across the site, from the café to the shop, where visitors can buy bottles, gifts and branded merchandise.
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The tour is detailed without becoming overly technical, and the tasting gives visitors the chance to properly explore the range.
Whether you are a dedicated whisky drinker or simply fancy trying something different, Cotswolds Distillery makes for a memorable day out, offering a special inside look at the fascinating work that goes into each and every bottle.
With great drinks, friendly staff and beautiful countryside on its doorstep, it is easy to see why. I’ll raise a glass to that.
On Wednesday, September 2, it was the Concours judging and private viewings to dominate the agenda for the day.
Twelve Concours classes were held across almost a century of motoring, including The Golden Age of Motoring, 100 Years of Carrrozzeria Touring, La Dolce Vita, 60 Years of the Lamborghini Miura and Passione Ferrari.
Two new classes also made their debut for 2026, Rare Breeds of the Digital Age and Hypercar Heaven, which recognise the growing importance of contemporary performance cars within the international collector market.
Judging will take place across Wednesday and Thursday, with the show field bringing together a 70-strong collection of classics, supercars and hypercars from around the world.
Some of the cars include Aa Maserati 8C 3000, Alfa Romeo Sprint Berlinetta, a one-off Maserati 3500GT Spyder Prototipo by Vignale, a very early Porsche 356 Split Window Coupé, Aston Martin DB3S, Lamborghini Miura P400S, Bizzarrini 5300GT, Ferrari 250 GT Series 1 Cabriolet, Bugatti EB110 Prototype, Aston Martin Valiant Prototype and the extraordinary Bugatti Bolide, one of just 40 produced worldwide.
Helen Pike has decided to step down as Master of Magdalen College School at the end of the 2026/27 academic year, the school in east Oxford announced in March.
MCS is one of the top performing schools in the country, ranking in the top 20 independent secondary schools in The Sunday Times Parent Power Schools Guide 2026.
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The new academic year will start next week, with Ms Pike preparing for one more year in charge before she hands over to her successor, who will take over in September 2027.
The first female Master at MCS, Ms Pike guided the board of governors to one of the most significant decisions in the school’s history, to become fully co-educational from 2027.
While there has been a co-educational sixth form at the school for 15 years, the school last month announced it will become fully co-educational over the coming decade.
Ms Pike said earlier: “I love MCS, and it is a perennial privilege to lead this remarkable school.
“Being Master of MCS is a brilliant job, and I am declaring my intention early in order to give MCS the very best opportunity to find the right Master for September 2027. I shall continue to do all in my power to further the fortunes of this wonderful school until then.
“I look forward to a new phase in my own professional life, one that builds on all that I have enjoyed and achieved in my career during the past 30 years.
“Having encouraged many cohorts of pupils to take sensible risks and to do something creative and different when the time feels right, I am doing just that.”
During Ms Pike’s tenure, MCS has been recognised as a Top 20 Independent School and South East School of the Year by the Sunday Times and won Independent School of the Year for Social Mobility.
Thanking her in his letter to the school community, chair of governors, Bob Price, said earlier this year: “Helen is an outstanding leader and will go with our sincere gratitude and warm thanks for her exceptional headship.
“She will leave the school in excellent shape for her successor.”
Recruitment for a replacement for Ms Pike is now under way.
Last month, Ms Pike congratulated pupils on their “outstanding success” in this year’s A-Level exams, after more than a quarter of pupils (43) achieved three A*s or more and 25 secured all A*s.
In total, 39 pupils from the 2026 cohort are heading to Oxbridge, while 22 have secured places to study medicine.
As part of the school’s expansion plans, MCS is preparing to build a new Science, Library and Partnerships building.
A spokeswoman said the new building will offer an exciting opportunity to reimagine the senior school site as staff look ahead to full co-education.
She added earlier: “With a vision to create a sector-leading science building in the centre of Oxford, the development will enable us to support an ambitious and forward-looking science curriculum, expanding to the emerging and rapidly advancing areas of robotics, AI and Big Data.”
Holding banners which read ‘For f**k’s sake, just stop oil’, the demonstrators took to the road in Parliament Square at noon today (Wednesday, September 2).
This was as Andy Burnham faced his first Prime Minister’s Questions, and many of the protestors glued themselves to the road.
The group demanded that the UK government stop approving all further oil and gas developments, and sign a Fossil Fuel Treaty to stop oil and gas extraction.
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Just Stop Oil say that the police are expected to arrest all those blocking the road, and that one lane has been left free of glued-on action takers to permit access for emergency vehicles.
Andy Burnham is due to make a decision on whether to allow more drilling for oil and gas in the North Sea.
Reverend James Crote, a Baptist Minister and grandfather from Chesterton near Bicester, said: “Today is my grandson’s first birthday. I have to take action for the sake of his future.
The 69-year-old added: “The government has been dilly-dallying about whether to say yes or no to the Rosebank oil field but, if we want a future for our children, there is no choice – it has to say ‘no’.
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“I am here as a Christian Minister because the Church has to speak out and demand that the government stops approving further oil and gas developments now. It’s time for us all to say ‘For God’s sake, Just Stop Oil’.”
Data from the Met Office indicates that 2026 was the hottest summer in UK recorded history, beating 2025, which was the previous hottest summer on record.
2026 was also one of the driest summers on record, delivering record-low food harvests.
Climbing temperatures have triggered wildfires across the country, and national fire chiefs said the wildfire risk facing the UK is “like nothing we have seen before”.
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Taking action, grandmother Victoria Ann Lynch-Staunton from Leamington Spa, said: “What is happening is beyond a tragedy.”
The 71-year-old added: “I beg everyone to join Just Stop Oil or governments will continue to prioritise endless growth and corporate profit over billions of lives – yours and your children.
“Wake up and smell the coffin. It is the responsibility of all of us to act now!”
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said today: “We are all Just Stop Oil.
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“Every single person who fears deadly wildfires, devastating droughts, and spiralling food shortages is Just Stop Oil.
“The first duty of government is to keep the public safe – but by greenlighting oil and gas drilling, they endanger our survival while corporates and billionaires laugh their way to the bank.
“Every one of us feels alone and powerless in the face of this insanity, but we know there is massive political and public support for our demand.
“So we’re inviting everyone to join us at an online call on 3rd October 2026 – because it’s when we work together that we are powerful and win.”
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