The Wilderness and Sacred Spirits create The Brexit Blend whisky

By Stuart Stone

- Last updated on GMT

Smooth Brexit: the Wilderness's James Bowker (l) and Alex Claridge, chef owner of The Wilderness, have partnered with Sacred Spirits
Smooth Brexit: the Wilderness's James Bowker (l) and Alex Claridge, chef owner of The Wilderness, have partnered with Sacred Spirits
Birmingham bar and restaurant operator the Wilderness and London’s Sacred Spirits distillery have rejected Brexit’s divisive spirit to create a limited-edition blended whisky.

The Brexit Blend, described as “complex and rewarding” and a “whisky to watch the world fall apart with”, is a union of English, Scottish and Welsh malts as well as a blended malt and grain whisky from Northern Ireland.

The six-year-old whisky’s creators – James Bowker, the Wilderness’s beverage director, and Sacred Spirits’ master blender and distiller Ian Hart – made the Brexit brew in Sacred’s distillery in Highgate, north London, using casks from Madeira and France.

The Brexit Blend isn’t the first drinks release inspired by the decision to leave the European Union, with Grantham-based brewery Newby Wyke re-releasing its ‘Treason’ ale​ in response to Prime Minister Theresa May’s draft Brexit declaration in December 2018.

While independent charity Full Fact’s latest estimate for UK’s ‘divorce bill’ with the EU is £39bn, the Wilderness and Sacred Spirits are offering a far cheaper alternative with wax-sealed skull bottles with a gift box on sale for £60 each.

However, with only 100 limited-edition bottles going on sale on Friday 29 March – the United Kingdom’s original date to leave the European Union – customers seeking The Brexit Blend may need to resign themselves to ‘no deal’.

Brexit blend whisky 1

Brexit deal

“We are delighted to be working again with the Wilderness and hope that our collaboration will bring cheer – whatever lies ahead,” Hart commented.

Bowker added: “Nobody is enjoying Brexit so until we get some sort of resolution, we might as well start the healing process over a stiff one.” 

The news follows the reveal of a mysterious new concept from the founder and head chef of the Wilderness by The Morning Advertiser​, which requires guests to sign a disclaimer​ before they begin eating or drinking.

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