A boozy break in the Lakes? That’s the spirit!
THERE’S always been plenty of water in the Lake District, but now there’s vodka, gin and whisky, too. All thanks to the new Lakes Distillery, which uses the River Derwent to produce a range of home-grown spirits.
Twenty years ago, the distillery near Bassenthwaite Lake was a run-down farm. Now it is an immaculate tourist destination.
And given the likelihood of rain in this part of Cumbria, the distillery provides the perfect undercover alternative to hiking or sailing through a downpour.
First, you get the tour, which takes you through a stainless steel production unit, containing the traditional vessels of whiskymaking: giant, bubbling vats and hen-shaped copper stills. After
which, of course, you retire to the in-house tasting room in order to sample some of the distillery’s products.
Once the tour is over, though, you can forget having to kayak back to your hotel or chew your way through a block of Kendal Mint Cake and instead retire to the sumptuous, in-house bistro.
There, you can have coffee and cake, but if you’re making a day of it, sit back and enjoy a full meal. The fixed-price lunch is £15.95 for two courses or £18,95 for three and you can specify if you want your chips cut thickly or thinly.
The managing director is Paul Currie, whose father had a distillery business before him. As well as whisky, Paul and his fellow distillers have opened their arms to vodka and gin, which take only a fraction of the time it takes to produce whisky.
At present, they are producing a blended whisky (they call it The One), on sale in the shop, as well as the vodka and gin.
But, in a couple of years’ time, they will be sipping the first drops of their own, home-made single malt. And their clear, stylishly presented bottles are the perfect present to take home.
‘We have a wonderful water supply here and a romantic location,’ says Currie, who lives on site, surrounded by river, hills and a herd of alpacas in the field at the back, which leads down to the Derwent. As for his gin, he says: ‘What’s the best way to enjoy what we produce? Put it in the fridge for an hour. That takes away the alcoholic edge, and means you can drink our gin neat.’
Is he right? I think I’d better pay the Lakes Distillery another visit.
Just to be sure.
TRAVEL FACTS
THE Lakes Distillery
(01768 788857, lakes
distillery.com) is open seven days a week. Admission £12.50 for adults, £5 for 13 to 17-year-olds, and free for under-12s.