White Peak Caduro X is the 10th anniversary single malt from Wire Works distillery in Derbyshire, England, and the English whisky Sukhinder Singh names as his favourite outside Scotland. Bottled at 46.8% ABV, it vats first-fill ex-bourbon, STR and re-charred red wine casks, using both regular-cut and alt-cut spirit for a brighter, lightly peated profile. Limited to 1,000 bottles, natural colour and non-chill filtered, it costs £75 for 70cl and is available from the distillery and UK specialists including The Whisky Exchange and Hard To Find Whisky.
When we sat down with Sukhinder Singh in London, we asked him straight: which distillery outside Scotland would you pick?
He didn’t hesitate. White Peak from Wire Works in Derbyshire in United Kingdom.
That’s a name worth paying attention to. Sukhinder has tasted more whisky than most people will see in a lifetime, and he landed on a ten year old distillery tucked into the Derbyshire hills, housed in a 19th century wire works by a river. Not Kavalan. Not Nikka. White Peak.
Now they’ve released Caduro X to mark their first decade, and it’s worth talking about properly.
What White Peak Caduro X actually is
Caduro X is a vatting of first-fill ex-bourbon barrels and STR casks that’s shaved, toasted and re-charred ex-red wine casks built on the distillery’s existing Caduro expression from their Provenance Core range. The anniversary bottling adds something extra though: a blend of both regular-cut and alt-cut new make, where alternate distillation cut-points pull out a brighter, more tropical character alongside a slightly more present peat influence than you’d normally get from Wire Works.
The proofing method is genuinely interesting. They bring it down to 46.8% ABV using what they call “special waters” low-strength spirit that’s been matured in oak casks first, so even the water used to proof the whisky is carrying flavour. It’s a technique you don’t hear about often, and it shows a level of attention to texture that most distilleries skip entirely.
Only 1,000 bottles. Natural colour, non-chill filtered.
Our notes
White Peak Caduro X — tasting notes
Nose: Sea salt, fresh sea air rather than smoke, a whisper of peat, floral notes, ripe pear, gentle malt, a lift of black pepper
Palate: Peat up front then politely receding, warm baking spices led by nutmeg, pear and floral carry-through, malt present throughout
Finish: Warm, medium length, lingering spice
ABV: 46.8% | Cask: First-fill ex-bourbon, STR, re-charred red wine | Price: £75 (70cl) | Outturn: 1,000 bottles
The finish is warm and lingers on the spice.
The bottle deserves a mention
The design is properly considered. The top of the bottle spins not a gimmick, it actually works as a closure mechanism and feels satisfying to use. The distillery’s DNA is engraved into it, and the side of the bottle carries a nod to Derbyshire, grounding the whole thing in the place it comes from. For a limited release anniversary expression, it looks the part without being flashy about it.
Who are White Peak and Wire Works?
White Peak is Derbyshire’s first full-scale craft distillery, founded in 2016 by husband-and-wife team Max and Claire Vaughan. It sits in the former Johnson & Nephew Wire Works in Ambergate, a Victorian wire and cable factory on the banks of the River Derwent, inside the Derwent Valley Mills UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The whisky is bottled under the Wire Works name as a nod to that industrial past. The first spirit was distilled in spring 2018 and the inaugural release landed in February 2022. White Peak runs every stage on-site, uses live yeast collected weekly from a local brewery, varies the distillation cut points, and leans on lightly peated malt (around 6ppm), which sets it apart from most English single malt.
Caduro X marks a decade since the distillery was founded, and a founding member of the English Whisky Guild putting Derbyshire firmly on the world whisky map.
Should you buy it?
At £75 for a 1,000-bottle limited release that already has Sukhinder Singh’s attention, the question is really whether you can still find one. It’s available at the distillery, online through whitepeakdistillery.co.uk
If you’ve been watching English whisky from a distance, waiting to see whether the category would deliver something worth the shelf space, Caduro X is a reasonable answer to that question. White Peak have been building toward this for ten years, and it shows.
Wire Works Caduro X, 46.8% ABV, 70cl, £75. Limited to 1,000 bottles.
/Gifted
Frequently asked questions
What is White Peak Caduro X?
White Peak Caduro X is a limited 10th anniversary single malt from Wire Works distillery in Derbyshire, England, released in 2026. It builds on the core Caduro expression using ex-bourbon, STR and re-charred red wine casks. Bottled at 46.8% ABV, natural colour, non-chill filtered, limited to 1,000 bottles.
What does White Peak Caduro X taste like?
Expect a lighter, lightly peated profile. The nose shows sea salt, sea air, floral notes and ripe pear over gentle malt and black pepper. The palate leads with a brief wave of peat, then baking spices, nutmeg, pear and florals. The finish is warm with lingering spice.
How much does White Peak Caduro X cost?
White Peak Caduro X costs £75 for a 70cl bottle. As a 10th anniversary release limited to 1,000 bottles, availability is the main constraint rather than price. Expect UK specialist retailers to list it around the same RRP while stock lasts.
Where can I buy White Peak Caduro X?
Caduro X is available directly from White Peak at whitepeakdistillery.co.uk, and from UK specialists including The Whisky Exchange and Hard To Find Whisky. With only 1,000 bottles made, it may sell out quickly, so checking multiple retailers improves your chances of securing one.
Why did Sukhinder Singh pick White Peak?
Asked which distillery outside Scotland he rates most highly, renowned collector and Elixir Distillers co-founder Sukhinder Singh named White Peak without hesitation. His pick reflects the quality of Wire Works’ lightly peated spirit and the distillery’s careful, flavour-led approach to maturation and bottling.
What is White Peak distillery known for?
White Peak is Derbyshire’s first full-scale craft distillery, founded in 2016 by Max and Claire Vaughan in a former Victorian wire works on the River Derwent. It is known for lightly peated single malt under the Wire Works name, live brewery yeast, varied distillation cut points and inventive cask maturation.
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