THE LAKES DISTILLERY THROWS OPEN ITS DESIGNER GATES
The Lakes Distillery's £6m investment openes to the public.
The highly anticipated Lakes Distillery will open on its idyllic rural site near Bassenthwaite Lake in Cumbria, with the unveiling of a pair of bespoke entrance gates designed by internationally renowned Workington-based metal work artist Alan Dawson.
The spectacular gates were thrown open on Monday the 15thof December to reveal the fruits of the distillery’s £6m investment – a world class Visitor Centre, artisan bar and bistro – The Bistro at the Distillery, and a shop selling distillery products as well as locally produced fare.
The state of the art Visitor Centre will take guests on an atmospheric tour of how the Lakes Malt, Lakes Gin and Lakes Vodka are made as well as including a visit to the distillery’s warehouse where the whisky matures. Visitors will be taken on a high definition cinematic journey following the water used within the spirits from the River Derwent as it flows down from Sprinkling Tarn through Keswick into Bassenthwaite Lake and on to the Irish Sea. It will also tell the story of Cumbria’s most notorious distiller and smuggler Lanty Sleek, who plays a key role in the unique tour. Tours conclude in the Tasting Room where guests can raise a glass and be taken on a concluding journey of the palate.
The Bistro at the Distillery will offer delicious honest food served in relaxed but chic surroundings. Overseen by nationally renowned chef and restaurateur Terry Laybourne, the casual bar and bistro will be a vibrant eatery seating a total of 130 guests both inside and out. The bistro will also house the distillery’s Board Room, a stylish private dining area for 30 people where the casks of maturing whisky can be viewed.
The Lakes Distillery has evolved throughout an amazing three year journey and Managing Director Paul Currie can’t wait to unveil what’s behind its designer gates. Paul said:
“The Lakes Distillery is set to be a key attraction for the Lake District and we estimate that we will accommodate approximately 55,000 visitors each year. It is wonderful to see everything come together, from the sympathetic renovation of our stunning Victorian farm and the formation of our highly skilled team, to the start of production of our spirits and the development of the menu and style of our bistro. We are so excited to open and can’t wait to see the response of our visitors.”
The Lakes Distillery will be England’s largest and is set to produce up to one million bottles of The Lakes Single Malt each year making it a veritable challenger on Scotland’s doorstep and the closest English whisky distillery to the border.
Perfectly dressed for the festive season with a 20ft Christmas tree, the Lakes Distillery will be open every day except Christmas Day. Standard tours will be priced at £12.50 for adults and £5 for 13-17 year olds accompanied by an adult. Bespoke tours hosted by the management team are available on request.
To find out more about the Visitor Centre, The Bistro at the Distillery and all the Lakes Distillery’s products, please visit www.lakesdistillery.com.
** A selection of high resolution images are available to download from http://bit.ly/TheLakesDistilleryTravelPressPack **
Media Contacts – Emma Campbell and Ellie McParlin at O PR
Emma@opr.co.uk / Ellie@opr.co.uk / 0191 232 5690
The Lakes Distillery
Close to Bassenthwaite Lake, in an area of unimaginable beauty encircled by Cumbrian fells, is the perfect home for the first-ever Lakes Distillery.
The experienced team behind the Lakes Distillery, which includes managing director Paul Currie who co founded the Arran Distillery, Master Distiller Chris Anderson with over 30 years’ experience and Alan Rutherford a former Production Director of Diageo, are renovating the historic buildings of an old Victorian Model Farm next to the famous river Derwent and close to Bassenthwaite Lake, with the aim to produce a new world-class single malt whisky.
The water from the famous River Derwent, with its source high up in the fells, a team steeped in whisky experience, and perfect conditions for distilling are set to create a very special malt.
The Lakes Distillery will open to the public in late 2014. The Lakes single malt will begin production this summer, and its blended whisky from the British Isles, called The ONE, is available to buy now.
The ONE Whisky
The ONE is the first British blended whisky ever to be produced. As opposed to blends made only of scotch whiskies, The ONE has been carefully created from whiskies from around the British Isles, leading to a very unique whisky. This is very much an artisan blend - the team in Cumbria has enormous experience in making the very finest whiskies, and their expertise has put together this outstanding blend, which has a lightly peated character.
Blended whiskies are made up of grain and malt whiskies, and it is the quantity of malt whisky in the blend that dictates the quality – so the more malt whisky in the blend, the better the quality. The ONE has a very high malt content and its quality is very much in line with single malt whiskies.
