The Lakes Distillery Signature Single Malt – What You Need to Know

This week, The Lakes Distillery unveiled its flagship whisky: The Lakes Signature Single Malt.

Launching a permanent core range expression is a milestone moment for one of English whisky’s brightest lights. Until now, it’s all been limited editions and ever-evolving releases, but this is different. Roots are being put down.

The Lakes isn’t alone. A growing number of distilleries are reaching the crucial age where they are old enough to offer something lasting. Look at Lochlea, which is moving away from seasonal releases. Holyrood Distillery has concluded its Founding Series with Pitch this week. The new-age whisky makers are embracing the pressure and the privilege of putting their name on the map in ink, not pencil.

The Lakes Distillery 

Founded in 2011, The Lakes Distillery helped kick-start the English whisky revival. Nestled near Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District National Park, it transformed a derelict Victorian farmhouse into a modern distillery. The area boasts a supply of local spring water and access to an established tourist market there to appreciate its famous natural beauty. 

White spirits began flowing in 2014. Whisky soon followed. By 2018, the distillery launched its first single malt – Genesis – with just 100 bottles released via auction. It didn’t just sell out; it set a world record price for an English whisky as Bottle number #1 fetched £7,900. In 2019 came Whiskymaker’s Reserve No.1, beginning a journey of sherried single malts defined by richness, balance, and innovation.

At the start of 2023, whisky maker Sarah Burgess joined the team, taking over from Dhavall Gandhi, a revered figure in the cask-finishing world and a former Macallan man. Burgess also boasts Macallan pedigree but her appointment felt less like the passing of the baton and more a step in a fresh direction. 

This next chapter is defined not only by Burgess but new owners. On 23 June 2024, The Lakes was acquired by English sparkling wine heavyweight Nyetimber for £71 million.

Founded in West Sussex and a pioneer of premium English fizz, Nyetimber owner, Eric Heerema has made no secret of his ambition: to make wines that can stand shoulder to shoulder with Champagne. The company invested in English whisky because it saw similar potential. It’s a sharp bet on a category already gathering pace.

The Lakes and élevage

The Lakes Signature Single Malt is the first release under Burgess’s watch. She describes the English whisky scene as an exciting playground of flavour, unconstrained by Scotch tradition. She also plays a key role in shaping that future, sitting on the board of the English Whisky Guild and representing The Lakes in the ongoing push for Geographical Indication (GI) status.

Central to Signature’s creation is the distillery’s élevage process, a technique more common in wine and Cognac. Rather than casking and waiting, Burgess says The Lakes takes a more hands-on approach to maturation. By actively moving spirit between casks, adjusting climate and location, and layering flavour intentionally, the whisky evolves in complexity and texture.

In her own words, “We’re constantly assessing our casks. We look at the dominant characteristics, then move spirit into another cask type to create another layer. It’s how we build richness, elegance, and that long, lingering finish that’s become part of The Lakes’ DNA. Someone told me recently that if you tasted Lakes blind, you’d know it instantly – that’s what we’re going for.”

It’s a painstaking approach and not the most efficient. “These intentional changes make life probably quite difficult for us. Other whiskey producers focus their quality efforts within their distillery, they take the new make spirit, move it into casks, then move that cask into the warehouse, and it remains in the warehouse for its maturation. We are constantly moving, so it’s always a lot of work for the whiskey-making team to engineer these flavours and always make sure that we’ve got the most exceptional casts available”.

The Lakes Signature Single Malt

Its new Signature Single Malt is a statement release. For Burgess, Nyetimber, The Lakes, for English whisky even. The early reception is positive. At the launch event this week, plenty of whisky luminaries gave it approving nods. Most went back for another dram. I always say there’s no better review than an empty glass. Except for a refilled one. 

This is a polished, sherry-driven single malt with The Lakes’ hallmark style stamped all over it. Think chocolate truffles, sticky dates, orange zest, and a backbone of spice. The orange-chocolate note in particular has become a bit of a signature, no pun intended. Fans of Dalmore will find familiar territory here, albeit The Lakes still has a fresh, more youthful vibrancy.

The new whisky isn’t reinventing the wheel, but it’s a consummate, professional single malt. It reflects a brand’s intention to be in it for the long haul. The £85 price tag might raise a few eyebrows – a little rich, some might say – but in the context of English whisky’s pricing landscape, it’s sadly not much of a shock either.

With an ABV of 47%, and bottled without chill-filtration or added colour, The Lakes Signature Single Malt keeps things natural like all Lakes whisky before it. There’s a tasting note below and a link to purchase. 

The Lakes Signature Single Malt Tasting Note:  

Nose: Chocolate truffles, orange zest, sticky dates, red chilli savoury earthiness, toffee crisp, and raspberry. Underneath it all there’s a distinctive, warming note of freshly baked soda bread and gingerbread. It’s a classically sherried nose, it’s a Lakes nose, and packs no surprises, but it hits the mark. There’s a lingering aroma of those chocolate twirly wafer things. 

Palate: The palate has good weight and goes down smooth, with flavours of black and red Wine Gums, orange chocolate, cherry boiled sweets. There’s also hints of BBQ sauce, black pepper,  oak char, nutmeg, and lime.

Finish: The finish is solid. It has a good length and plenty of legacy from the nose and palate. It’s also ever so slightly mineral, with notes of caramel, orange, dark chocolate, and cinnamon. 

You can buy The Lakes Signature Single Malt from Master of Malt, click the link in the drink’s name to head to the product page.

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