The Lakes Distillery

Type: Distillery and brand

The Lakes Distillery began distilling single malt spirit in a renovated Victorian farm beside Bassenthwaite Lake, in Cumbria’s Lake District.[2][3] Its whisky is associated with sherry casks, while tours, the shop and the bistro closed on 24 April 2026; production schedules were then reported unchanged, but current distilling activity is not confirmed.[7][10][11]

At a glance

The setting is part of the distillery’s story, but the farm buildings were adapted for production rather than simply retained as scenery. At the time of the 2024 purchase, the 11-acre site included the distillery, visitor centre, shop and bistro.[8] Those facilities explain why older accounts can read as descriptions of a visitor destination, even though the public-facing operation has since closed.[11]

What The Lakes Distillery is known for

The clearest thread through The Lakes’ whisky is its sherry-led approach. Whisky Magazine credits Dhavall Gandhi with pioneering that style, while its 2026 interview with Brendan McCarron describes sherry wood as central to the maturation programme.[7][10] That is a documented production emphasis, not a tasting verdict on every bottle.

The Whiskymaker’s Reserve made that approach particularly visible. The producer describes the numbered sequence, No.1 to No.7, as its “first widely-available single malt whisky”.[5] Reserve No.4 subsequently received the World’s Best Single Malt title at the World Whiskies Awards 2022, the first time an English distillery had won that title.[7][10]

The award belongs to that expression and that competition year. For understanding the wider distillery, the more useful connection is between the Reserve series, the experimental Editions and the later permanent single malt: each represents a different way of presenting the whisky maker’s work.[5][10]

From farm buildings to whisky

Story box: a blend before the first distillation

Founding story: The operating company was incorporated on 12 September 2011. The distillery occupied a renovated Victorian farm, and distillation began in September 2014.[1][2][3]

Founding year verdict: Disputed. Companies House records incorporation in 2011, Whisky Magazine says the business was founded in 2012, and a trade report described it as established in 2014. These descriptions may refer to different events, so a single founding year is not reliably established.[1][4][7]

Sources: Companies House, The Spirits Business and Whisky Magazine. Earliest source of the founding claim is not reliably established. Sheet checked November 2026.

Co-founder verdict: Disputed. A 2014 report names Paul Currie and Chris Anderson; Whisky Magazine names Currie and Nigel Mills. The full list of founders is not reliably established. Currie had previously co-founded Isle of Arran Distillers.[2][7]

Sources: The Spirits Business, 2014 and Whisky Magazine, 2024. The earliest source of the conflicting claims is not reliably established. Sheet checked November 2026.

Turning point: Dhavall Gandhi joined as master blender in December 2016 after working at The Macallan. He described the new distillery as “a blank canvas”; Whisky Magazine subsequently credited him with its sherry-led style.[4][7]

Documented record: The One was bottled in October 2013 as a British blended whisky using whiskies from across the British Isles. It therefore preceded spirit distilled at The Lakes.[3]

Production and development

Early reporting describes water drawn from the nearby River Derwent and three handmade copper stills supplied by McMillan, near Edinburgh. The 2014 account identifies wash, spirit and gin stills, each of 5,500 litres; these are historical equipment details, not a current still inventory.[2]

Later investment changed the production site. A new fermentation hall added eight stainless steel washbacks in 2020, followed by a 2021 renovation that included a blending laboratory and new warehousing.[7][10] The emphasis on both production and blending facilities matters to a distillery whose published identity gives considerable weight to cask selection and maturation.

The 2026 interview describes some fermentations lasting three days and others running for more than 100 hours across a weekend.[10] These are reported practices at The Lakes, rather than universal timings for English whisky.

First single malt verdict: Disputed. The producer gives September 2019 for its first single malt, while Whisky Magazine describes Genesis as the first bottling, four years after commissioning in 2014. The first release name and date are not reliably established from these accounts.[5][10]

Sources: The Lakes Distillery, producer’s account and Whisky Magazine, 2026. The earliest source of the claim is not reliably established. Sheet checked November 2026.

Sherry casks and the whisky maker’s role

The clearest account of the maturation work comes from the 2026 interview’s discussion of élevage, the term used there for the distillery’s approach to managing maturing whisky. It reports that every cask has been pulled for sampling before reaching one year old.[10]

That detail gives substance to the emphasis on the whisky maker. Rather than describing casks only by their original filling, the account describes attention to them during maturation.[10] It does not, by itself, establish a particular flavour in a finished expression.

Elements offers another view of that interest in cask differences. The producer presented seven 200 ml whiskies, each associated with a sherry style: Fino, Manzanilla, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Cream, PX and Oloroso. All came from American oak butts of 500 litres and were bottled at 54% ABV, in 1,368 numbered sets.[6]

The value of that project as a reference is its stated structure. It places different sherry styles within one collection, while holding the published oak type, cask size and bottling strength constant.[6] Those specifications are not a substitute for a recorded comparative tasting.

Understanding the whisky names

The Lakes’ different whisky names are easiest to follow by separating the British blend from the distillery’s single malt projects. The One belongs to the former category; its origin should not be confused with spirit made at the Cumbrian site.[3]

The Editions also include a documented collaboration: the producer says Reflections was made with chef Simon Rogan.[5] Ascent followed Boundless in travel retail, adding another strand to the range beyond the numbered Reserve releases.[10]

People and ownership

Gandhi was followed as master whisky maker by Sarah Burgess, who also came from The Macallan.[7] Brendan McCarron’s subsequent appointment took effect on 1 September 2025, according to the producer’s announcement; his previous employers included Diageo, The Glenmorangie Co and Distell, now CVH Spirits.[9][10]

The ownership change preceded McCarron’s arrival. Nyetimber, the English sparkling wine producer, announced its purchase in April 2024 and completed it on 18 June 2024.[8] The operating company’s own record also distinguishes its legal names: it was The Lakes Distillery Company PLC from 12 October 2018 to 19 June 2024, then returned to Limited.[1]

Visiting and reading older accounts

The brand home closure on 24 April 2026 covered tours, the shop and the bistro.[11] The producer’s website also states that its shop and bistro have closed.[5] Older tour descriptions therefore should not be used to plan a visit.

Equally, closing visitor facilities is not the same event as stopping whisky production. The April report said production schedules and volumes were unchanged.[11] Keeping those two developments separate gives a more accurate picture than describing the whole distillery simply as closed.

Where to go next

• The English Distillery: continue with another English distillery profile.
• Cotswolds Distillery: read a further profile in the English distillery collection.
• Spirit of Yorkshire and Filey Bay: follow another distillery and its whisky brand.

Sources

1. Companies House. The Lakes Distillery Company Limited. Company number 07769363, company record, checked November 2026. https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/07769363
2. The Spirits Business. Work progresses on England's largest distillery. June 2014. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/06/work-progresses-on-englands-largest-distillery/
3. The Spirits Business. Cumbria's first distillery in 100 years opens doors. December 2014. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2014/12/cumbrias-first-distillery-in-100-years-opens-doors/
4. The Spirits Business. Macallan whisky maker moves to Lakes Distillery. December 2016. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2016/12/macallan-whisky-maker-moves-to-lakes-distillery/
5. The Lakes Distillery. The Whiskymaker's Reserve x The Whiskymaker's Editions. Producer’s account, undated, checked November 2026. https://lakesdistillery.com/pages/reserve-editions
6. The Lakes Distillery. Elements: A Whiskymaker's Project. Producer’s account, undated, checked November 2026. https://lakesdistillery.com/products/elements
7. Whisky Magazine. Nyetimber to buy the Lakes Distillery. 2024. https://www.whiskymag.com/articles/nyetimber-to-buy-the-lakes-distillery/
8. The Spirits Business. Nyetimber finalises Lakes Distillery purchase. June 2024. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2024/06/nyetimber-finalises-lakes-distillery-purchase/
9. The Lakes Distillery. The Lakes Distillery announces new Whiskymaker, Brendan McCarron. Producer’s announcement, 2025. https://lakesdistillery.com/blogs/news/the-lakes-distillery-announces-new-whiskymaker-brendan-mccarron
10. Whisky Magazine. Interview: Brendan McCarron on life at the Lakes. 2026. https://whiskymag.com/articles/interview-brendan-mccarron-on-life-at-the-lakes/
11. The Spirits Business. Lakes Distillery to axe jobs as brand home shuts. April 2026. https://www.thespiritsbusiness.com/2026/04/lakes-distillery-to-axe-jobs-as-brand-home-shuts/

This desk-researched article uses the supplied verified fact sheet, distinguishing company records, producer accounts and trade reporting; it includes no site visit or first-hand tasting.

Last checked: November 2026