Copper Rivet 2017-2020 - Masthouse - First Release

The Copper Rivet distillery was constructed by the Russell family in a disused pump house at the old Royal Dockyard in Chatham, Kent, and commenced distilling operations in 2016. Copper Rivet is a true ‘grain-to-glass’ distillery, sourcing all their grain requirements within twenty miles of their Medway home and controlling all aspects of brewing and distillation.

Copper Rivet is equipped with separate stills for production of gin and vodka, and makes English single malt whisky in both pot and column stills, unrestrained by the fetters of the Scotch Whisky Association’s regulations. Copper Rivet released their first single malt whisky in 2020 and their first single grain whisky, made with barley, wheat and rye, in 2022.

Distillery bottlings are, as the name suggests, bottled by or for the distillery from which the whisky has originated and are thus often referred to as Official Bottlings or OBs. Distillery bottlings are generally more desirable for collectors and usually fetch higher prices at auction than independent bottlings. They are officially-endorsed versions of the whisky from a particular distillery and are therefore considered the truest expression of the distillery’s character.

This ideal of the distillery character is regarded so seriously by the distilleries and brand owners that casks of whisky that are considered to vary too far from the archetype are frequently sold on to whisky brokers and independent bottlers. When this happens, it is often with the proviso that the distillery’s name is not allowed to be used when the cask is bottled for fear of diminishing or damaging the distillery’s character and status.