LAKE District distillers of the country's newest single malt whisky will be raising a glass this Christmas to celebrate a major milestone in its maturation.

The Lakes Distillery at Bassenthwaite started production of its Lakes Single Malt in December 2014, the same month it officially opened its doors to visitors.

The spirit, which will officially become whisky after three years maturing in oak casks, will be ready for drinking from spring 2018.

Early feedback from the distillery’s team, which includes some of the UK’s most foremost whisky experts, is The Lakes Single Malt is on track to be one of the finest.

"After only one year maturing, already it is smooth and sweet and very drinkable" said distillery manager John Drake. "It is quite outstanding."

In just 12 months, The Lakes Distillery has also become one of Cumbria’s leading tourist attractions welcoming more than 70,000 visitors through its doors. Meanwhile the acclaimed Bistro at The Lakes Distillery has built up a tremendous reputation, being popular with tourists and locals, thanks to head chef Andrew Beaton with renowned chef Terry Laybourne overseeing the bistro.

The Lakes Distillery has also been named as a ‘Top 50 Cumbrian Icon’ in only its first year.

Founder and managing director of The Lakes Distillery, Paul Currie, who founded and ran the award-winning Isle of Arran Distillers in Scotland before opening England’s largest distillery, said: “This has been a phenomenal year for the business – the reaction from the drinks industry, the public and the local businesses in the North West has been fantastic.

“We feel honoured to have been awarded a string of accolades from different industry bodies in our first year. Our spirits have picked up awards at the IWSC and International Spirits Challenge (ISC), while the Bistro at The Distillery has been listed in the Michelin Good Food Guide 2016 and picked up Open Table Diner’s Choice Awards several months in a row.”

In 2016 Paul will not be resting on his laurels and already has big plans for the distillery’s second year of business including a series of talks and events at the venue.

He continued: “We’ve run a couple of events this year, including one with former Olympian Jonathan Edwards, an ambassador of our whisky, a gin themed evening with Olympic skier Chemmy Alcott and a night of fine dining with Michelin-starred chef Nigel Haworth. All the events have been very successful and we’re planning an exciting schedule for next year.

“We are situated in one of the most stunning places in the world which we think gives us a real edge and that, combined with the unique spirits we are producing, makes us a strong contender in this industry. Our aim is to ensure The Lakes Malt is recognised as one of the finest malt whiskies in the world, making us a challenger to Scotland.”

Already the creators of artisan spirits The Lakes Gin and The Lakes Vodka, The Lakes Distillery offers a blended British Isles whisky called The ONE which is currently available in a limited edition sherry cask finished bottle, marking the distillery’s first birthday.