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First Lakes single malt predicted to break auction record
A bottle of The Lakes Distillery’s inaugural single malt is expected to break the world record for most expensive English whisky sold at auction.
(L-R) Dhavall Gandhi, Nigel Mills, Alan Rutherford and Paul Currie
Cumbria-based The Lakes Distillery will offer collectors the chance to purchase one of only 99 bottles of The Lakes Genesis, which pays homage to the distillery’s origins.
Bottled at cask strength, the expression will be available for an 11-day period from 29 June to 10 July 2018 through Whisky Auctioneer. The first bottle is expected to sell for several thousand pounds.
Every bottle will be presented in a rosewood box, each individually numbered and signed by chief whisky maker Dhavall Gandhi.
“The whisky was first matured in oloroso hogsheads giving it a vibrant character full of dried ginger and wood spice,” said Gandhi.
“After the initial period of maturation, the whisky was finished in casks made up of American and European oak to add a layer of dried fruit and vanilla. Finally, these two components were married together in orange wine casks from the Andalucía region of Spain, giving it a spicy and chocolate orange character.
“We don’t just bottle our whisky because it is three-years-old; instead, I look at each cask to assess them individually until I find the right flavour profile. We have reached a peak for some casks and that is why we are releasing a limited number now.”
Alan Rutherford OBE, chairman of The Lakes Distillery, added: “Our expectations for the auction are very high because we have gathered a very large following and there’s a lot of interest in the products we are bringing forward.
“Genesis will be very limited in its supply and very interesting in its quality and so we predict that the first bottles will set a record for English whisky at auction.”
In addition, the distillery is set to launch its inaugural English single malt range, comprised of four limited edition expressions, which will be released annually.
In November last year, The Lakes Distillery surpassed its £1 million (US$1.3m) crowdfunding target after just three days.