The Lakes Whiskymaker’s Editions: Voyage
Crafted by not one, but two ex-Macallan whiskymakers, and coming from the distillery that made the World’s Best Single Malt in 2022, this is a whisky that absolutely floored us with how good it tastes.
United KingdomColour Deep amber
Nose Bright and fruity with spiced baked apple, medjool date, freshly cut orange and beeswax.
Palate Juicy palate of perfectly ripe red grape, fresh fig, plum, and honey-roasted nuts.
Finish Layered, mouth-coating finish filled with apple and blackberry pie, and hints of spiced dark chocolate.
Food Match Freshly baked shortbread
Overview
This singular single malt – crafted by two former Macallan whiskymakers – comes to you from the winner of the World’s Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards, and has been created exclusively for The Whisky Club.
Hot on the heels of GlenAllachie in 2021, The Lakes won World’s Best Single Malt in 2022 – and, like GlenAllachie, they invest heavily in Sherry casks.
The Lakes Distillery boasts a formidable founding team including founder Paul Currie, who set up Isle of Arran Distillery in 1995, and Alan Rutherford OBE, one of the world’s leading authorities on malt whisky.
The distillery is also a magnet for Macallan-derived talent, which speaks to the quality of the whisky and their willingness to invest in the best. This includes Dhavall Gandhi as whiskymaker from 2016, succeeded by Sarah Burgess in Jan 2023, who brings 25 years of experience, formerly Lead Whiskymaker at Macallan after running the ship at both Clynelish and Glenkinchie.
Burgess is driving the consistently high quality of The Lakes to new heights, and championing the distillery as the one to watch out for in 2024.
The Lakes have two key single malt series, the seven-part series of Whiskymaker’s Reserve, numbered 1–7 (it was No. 4 that took home World’s Best Single Malt), and their limited Whiskymaker’s Editions, award-winning in their own right.
The distillery uses deliberately slow and extremely hands-on processes to achieve layers of flavour and complexity.
“The slower the mashing process and the more we recirculate the water, the clearer the resulting wort will be... and the fruitier the spirit will become,” says Burgess.
The wort goes through a slow, 96-hour fermentation to elicit a lighter, creamier spirit. This is augmented by a meticulous multi-oak, multi-Sherry maturation strategy inspired by the use of élevage by the cellarmasters of Cognac. By assessing the spirit at regular intervals in its ageing, Sarah can decide whether each individual cask would benefit from a new cask type, location, or even further blending at any stage.
This method creates incredible complexity in the resulting whiskies.
Sherry cask matured and complimented by generous use of the finest Calvados, red wine and American oak casks, The Lakes have created a absolutely fascinating whisky packed with the rich, oily, viscous texture we love, but paradoxically delicate with a mouthwatering, juicy explosion of fruit. It’s non-chill filtered and bottled with natural colour at a perfect 49% ABV.
The nose is bright and fruity while also providing layers of spiced baked apple, medjool date and freshly cut orange, with a really lovely, distinctive beeswax note. An equally juicy palate adds perfectly ripe red grape, fresh fig and plum, with honey-roasted nuts evolving into a long, mouth-coating finish of apple and blackberry pie with hints of spiced dark chocolate.
It’s ridiculously tasty; seriously hard not to finish too quickly, it’s the perfect summer whisky. Equal parts bright and complex in all the right places.
Lakes Whiskymaker’s Editions usually start at $170, but thanks to the collective buying power of more than 36,000 Members across Australia, Club Members enjoyed this collector’s edition for only $130!
And speaking of collectors, they've been spotted paying over AU$2,000 for a bottle of this at auction!
If you’re not a Member yet, sign up to Australia’s biggest whisky community to get your hands on our upcoming releases.
THE SPECS
Price: $130.00
Age: No Age Statement
ABV: 49%
Maturation: Majority Sherry complimented with generous use of Calvados, American oak and red wine casks
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The Lakes Distillery's History
The Lakes Distillery was founded in 2011 by Paul Currie, who was one of the co-founders of – and set up – the Isle of Arran Distillery. Currie, having worked in whisky for most of his life, says there was never a better time to establish a distillery and founded The Lakes with a mission to craft exceptional spirits capturing the essence of the Lakes District. The property was formerly a run-down 160-year-old Victorian Model Farm, and it’s the only distillery in both a National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
A stone’s throw from Scotland and nestled on the banks of the River Derwent, The Lakes Distillery houses a pair of custom McMillan stills. Around 80% of whisky at The Lakes sees Sherry cask maturation, and the team follows a process of élevage inspired by Cognac’s cellarmasters – in simpler terms, they describe this as their “multi-cask, multi-Sherry” program.
Instead of the more traditional method of leaving the spirit in a single cask, with or without time spent in another cask for a second maturation, the whiskymaker is proactively involved in every whisky throughout its ageing process. The whiskymaker regularly reassesses the progression of each individual cask and may move the spirit to a new cask type, location, or climate depending on its flavour development. Casks are even blended at various stages to layer flavours and complexity further at every stage. Once deemed mature, each whisky is married for up to year prior to release, to develop a harmony of flavour.
Currie’s team of experts originally included ex-Macallan whiskymaker Dhavall Gandhi, a biochemist with a penchant for innovation. Under the leadership of Paul Currie and the expertise of Dhavall Gandhi, The Lakes Distillery flourished.
In 2019 The Lakes released their first in a seven-part series of Whiskymaker’s Reserve single malts, which were received with acclaim. Lakes call this series a “refined evolution on our journey to define a Sherry-led signature style”, using Oloroso, PX and red wine casks.
The inaugural release brought home a distinguished score of 95/100 from the International Wine & Spirits Challenge in 2020, while No. 2 was awarded gold at the International Spirits Challenge in the same year. Notably, in 2022 The Lakes Whiskymaker’s Reserve No. 4 won Best Single Malt at the World Whiskies Awards, cementing the distillery’s reputation on the world stage. In 2023 they released No. 7 in the UK, the last in the series, which in its own right has already been awarded the Grand Gold Medal at the 25th Spirits Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles.
Contrasting and complementing this house style are The Lakes Whiskymaker's Editions.
As The Lakes say: “Each Edition is an intentional diversion from our signature style. Pushing boundaries through the art of blending and the use of oak, it is here that we not only look at what whisky is, but what it can become.”
In 2023, former Macallan Master Blender, Sarah Burgess, took the reins from Gandhi as he moved on to pursue his own project. Burgess brings over 25 years of experience, having previously run the ships at both Clynelish and Glenkinchie, and more recently as Lead Whiskymaker at Macallan.
As The Lakes Distillery continues to evolve, the legacy of Paul Currie, Dhavall Gandhi, and their current whiskymaker, Sarah Burgess, lives on in every sip. The Lakes' commitment to excellence, progression and creativity sees them going from strength to strength, and challenging preconceptions through pure product quality.
Distillery Facts
Region: Lakes District, England
Origin: The Lakes Distillery, Cockermouth CA13 9SJ, United Kingdom
Founded: 2011
Water Source: On-site borehole
Washbacks: 8
Stills: 2 (1 wash, 1 spirit)
Capacity: 400,000 litres per annum
Ready to enjoy a world-class whisky collection?
Your free Club Membership gives access to exclusive single malt from Scotland, Australia and the world’s best distilleries. Enjoy the unrivalled buying power of Australia's biggest whisky club.