Lakes Distillery whisky fetches record sum at auction

The Lakes Distillery has broken two world records at a sale of the first 99 bottles of its Genesis whisky.

Bottle number one fetched £7,900 at auction, making it the most expensive bottle of English whisky ever produced.

It was also the most expensive to come from a new distillery, breaking a previous record of £7,100 held by a business in Scotland.

The Lakes Distillery CEO Nigel Mills CBE said: “Genesis signifies an important milestone in our history, because the first spirit we laid down is now more than three years old and we can finally call it whisky.

“The auction was fascinating and it exceeded all our expectations.”

He continued: “We are proud to have not only produced a wonderful malt whisky but to have seen such a demand for the first bottles.”

The Lakes Distillery operates from sites in Cumbria and Newcastle.

Paul Currie, the distillery’s founder and chief operating officer, hailed the sale as a “historic moment”, adding: “The success of the auction and the interest in Genesis demonstrates that the Lakes single malt whisky is a credible alternative to whiskies from the world’s established distilleries.”

The auction, hosted on the website Whisky Auctioneer, started on June 29 and ran until July 10.

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