THE ONE JOINS WHISKY WORLD ELITE – Whisky News
THE ONE JOINS WHISKY WORLD ELITE
The first ever blend of whiskies from around the British Isles, The ONE, has been classified as one of the best blended whiskies in the world less than a year after launch.
The prestigious International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) revealed its 2014 winners awarding the blend, produced by The Lakes Distillery, the Silver Legend in the Worldwide Whiskey category. Silver marks The ONE as ‘fine example, excellent quality’.
The annual awards are an industry-noted mark of quality and excellence and are recognised worldwide. Spirits from nearly 90 countries are entered into the competition with only those of the highest quality receiving recognition. Entries are scored out of 100 and undergo a detailed level of scrutiny including technical and chemical analysis, blind tastings and colour.
Paul Currie, founder and managing director of The Lakes Distillery, said on the win: “The IWSC sets the international benchmark for quality and we are delighted that The ONE has been included.
“The ONE, which combines the finest whiskies from Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England, is now listed alongside the wine and spirit world’s top brands, which is where we feel it deserves to be.”
The award comes weeks after The Lakes Distillery announced luxury retailer Harvey Nichols as its first UK-wide retailer of The ONE, which was launched in September 2013. Distribution deals have also been confirmed in The Netherlands, France, Belgium and The UAE, with Spain and Denmark to be announced by the end of the year and many more countries poised to come on board next year, including the USA.
Production is set to start this summer on The Lakes Distillery’s whisky, gin and vodka, while its bistro, tours and shop will open to the public by December 2014.
A select number of whisky enthusiasts around the world are invited to become part of the early stages of The Lakes Distillery story. The company has launched a Connoisseurs’ Club, where just 60 members can come to the distillery to make their own whisky, fill their own rare sherry cask, and then come to annual tasting ceremonies when they can taste their maturing whisky.
In addition, the Lakes Distillery will set aside the first 100 casks of malt whisky produced exclusively for members of its Founders’ Club. Each year for ten years, members will then receive one 70cl bottle and two tasting bottles, making up a collectible set of the distillery’s first ever production.
More information is available at http://www.lakesdistillery.com
Notes
The ONE is also available to buy online at http://www.lakesdistillery.com/shop/
The Lakes Distillery
Close to Bassenthwaite Lake, in an area of unimaginable beauty encircled by Cumbrian fells, is the perfect home for the first-ever Lakes Distillery.
The experienced team behind the Lakes Distillery, which includes managing director Paul Currie who co founded the Arran Distillery, Master Distiller Chris Anderson, ex Dewars with over 30 years’ experience, and Alan Rutherford a former Production Director of Diageo, are renovating the historic buildings of an old Victorian Model Farm next to the famous river Derwent and close to Bassenthwaite Lake, with the aim to produce a new world-class single malt whisky.
The water from the famous River Derwent, with its source high up in the fells, a team steeped in whisky experience, and perfect conditions for distilling are set to create a very special malt.
The Lakes Distillery will open to the public in late 2014. The Lakes single malt will begin production this summer, and its blended whisky from the British Isles, called The ONE, is available to buy now.
The ONE Whisky
The ONE is the first British blended whisky ever to be produced. As opposed to blends made only of scotch whiskies, The ONE has been carefully created from whiskies from around the British Isles, leading to a very unique whisky. This is very much an artisan blend – the team in Cumbria has enormous experience in making the very finest whiskies, and their expertise has put together this outstanding blend, which has a lightly peated character.
Blended whiskies are made up of grain and malt whiskies, and it is the quantity of malt whisky in the blend that dictates the quality – so the more malt whisky in the blend, the better the quality. The ONE has a very high malt content and its quality is very much in line with single malt whiskies.
The Connoisseurs’ Club
The company has launched a Connoisseurs’ Club, offering the opportunity for just 60 members to own their own very rare cask of The Lakes Malt.
Each cask is estimated to contain more than 100 bottles and members can be there on that historic first day to make the whisky themselves, fill their own Connoisseur’s Cask and see it stored in the distillery warehouse. The Connoisseurs’ Club limited membership costs £12,000, which includes the unique signature cask, exclusive annual events, accommodation at the nearby 4-star Trout Hotel, delivery, all duty and VAT. It’s estimated if kept, the cask will be worth over £20,000 in years to come.
The Founders’ Club
The first ever distillery in the beautiful Lake District, opening later this year, is setting aside the first ever 100 casks of malt whisky produced for members of its Founders’ Club.
Each year for ten years, members will receive one 70cl bottle plus two tasting miniatures of the maturing malt, making up a collectible set of the distillery’s first ever production, all with unique, limited edition labels. These casks will not be available for the general public and are uniquely reserved for members.
Founders’ Club membership costs just £595, with an expected value of over £1,400 over the ten years period. Delivery of the first bottle will be in 2015.
