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Lakes Distillery to launch English malt and Scotch blend

Cumbria-based The Lakes Distillery is set to release the “world’s first” blend of English and Scottish malt whisky, called Steel Bonnets.

Steel Bonnets is a blend of Scotch whisky and English malt

Steel Bonnets is a combination of English whisky The Lakes Single Malt and malt whiskies from Scotland.

Its name pays homage to English and Scottish people who lived along the Anglo-Scottish border from the 13th century to the 17th century.

During the time, the armies of Scotland and England devastated the lives of people along the border as they passed through and due to their plundering nature came to be known as Border Reivers.

In old English, ‘to reive’ is to rob, and so the Border Reivers were nicknamed the Steel Bonnets after the “distinctive” helmets they wore.

Nigel Mills CBE, co-founder and CEO of The Lakes Distillery, said: “It was very important to us that our geographical location, its people and its culture were recognised in this new blended malt whisky, Steel Bonnets.

“The Border Reivers were an integral part of Border history in the 300 years leading up to the union between England and Scotland in 1707, which eventually brought peace to this battle-strewn land.”

The Lakes Distillery master whiskymaker, Dhavall Gandhi, handpicked the individual malt whiskies to create the blend – “something that has never been tried before”, he said.

“The whisky, at 46.6% abv, has a creamy, slightly nutty and full-bodied flavour with notes of vanilla, ginger, nutmeg and hints of dried fruit,” added Gandhi. “All held together with a sweet layer of woodsmoke. A fitting tribute to the history of the Border families.”

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