This year me and t’other half are doing something we’ve not done before, each month. March, was heading to a distillery in the Lake District.
We rarely pass up an opportunity to visit the Lake District so we took up a voucher deal for a meal and tour at The Lakes Distillery. They make gin, whisky and vodka… none of which I’m particularly fond of on their own but hey, this is supposed to be about trying new things!
So, we decided to stay overnight (else one of us wouldn’t be doing any tasting!) and had another day in the Lakes to kill. We drove over there and did the tasting on the same day.
The Bistro
The Bistro at the Distillery is bright, pleasant and inviting. Our voucher deal meant we chose from a limited menu, but there was still plenty of choice. We both went for the same thing in the end:
Pork, veg etc all looking and tasting very nice, it has to be said. Sometimes in places like this food can be style over substance, but it was actually really nice and the portion sizes weren’t bad.
There was a wee bit of drama while we were here, a lady took an unfortunate turn in her health but I have to say, the staff handled it amazingly and it looked as though the lady was going to be okay in the end, thankfully.
The Tour!
We were taken in a small group (about 8 of us) around the distillery by a very pleasant and knowledgeable lady. We’ve made a commercial film for a brewery before so I’ve seen a bit of how ale/beer is made but never spirits – and it was really interesting! We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside, so I can’t show you but I imagine one place looks much the same as another.
Everything was very new and clean – unsurprising as the distillery has only been open for a couple of years. The cellar where they keep the casks was the most interesting bit for me, and would have made some lovely photography if we’d been allowed to snap away. Some of the barrels of single malt whisky go for £12,000… enough said about that!
After the tour, which lasted about 20 minutes, we were taken to the shop where they have a tasting area. Arguably this is most people’s favourite bit!
We got to try some of their whisky, gin and vodka, none of which I liked! No reflection at all on the distillery, they’re just not my kind of thing unless they’re mixed with something, but it was still great to hear about how they were made and be shown how to smell and taste them properly and what sort of things to look out for. Plus my other half got to drink the rest of mine, which pleased him!
Not part of the tour, but here are a few shots I got during our trip – I love the Lakes!