The Lakes Distillery Reviews 

Loyal founder member for over a decade - loyalty counts for nothing to these tightwads after they made it big in their multi million pound takeover. They’ve lost what made them special and plenty of founders including myself are now turning their backs on them, for this reason

We had a tour led by Zane a few days ago. We were visiting from the U.S. and this was our first activity in the Lakes. Zane was truly fantastic—knowledgeable, funny, eager to hear our questions. We had a great chat over the tasting, and we learned a lot about distilling in general and about The Lakes Distillery specifically. It’s a beautiful spot, great whisky, and great staff. Zane even recommended a couple pubs nearby for dinner. Truly lovely experience.

Im not sure why there's a few negative reviews about this establishment honestly I couldn't recommend it more.we visited it on Sunday 21st September and from the moment we arrived till we left it was a very welcoming experience starting in the shop with Zain/Zayne with his charm and knowledge he managed to relieve us of some pounds but tbf the tasters helped as well lol.we moved on to the bistro and the food was excellent and the service provided by the staff of which I can remember by name as their charm and welcoming it would be impossible to forget so a big shout out to Ashdon Robin and Katie and the tall lady which sadly didn't get her name and to the chef well done guys for a wonderful experience from the Irishman and his better half Amanda.

We had the tour and tasting lead by janis, it was a great tour and she was really knowlledgeable about the processes and the area. She really helped us to understand the provided samples

Went for Sunday lunch and disappointed at what was presented.
Chicken roast was a bit overcooked and the presentation was ordinary. Not enough gravy and not sure why a mega Yorkshire pudding was necessary. Soup could easily have been from a tin and didn’t taste homemade. The fried halloumi in bread crumbs was tasteless.

Popped in to the Lakes Distillery bistro this morning for a coffee and a cake, having just been for a dip in Bassenthwaite. The bistro has a lovely outdoor area, which was perfect as we had our dog with us. I went inside to place our order, and was disappointed to find not once single vegan option available for cakes or bakes, so I ordered just a coffee with oat milk for myself, and a coffee and fruit flapjack for my husband. The coffees arrived with dairy milk, not oat milk. The flapjack was butter, not fruit. There was no provision of sugar or cutlery offered either. When I asked the staff member to check the flapjack, there was no offer of apology, just indifference. I appreciate that people following a vegan diet are still a minority, however, I think not even providing one option is lazy, and not in line with The Lakes Distillery brand. It would be very easy to keep a vegan option in the freezer as and when required. Mostly I was disappointed with the service that was one of total disinterest. Very disappointed - the only reason for offering any stars is because of the location.

The tour guide was informative and kept us engaged and entertained
Lovely tasting experience
Janice in the shop was helpful and friendly ,we feel she and the tour guides ought to go to Spain to see the barrel making as it will equip them Fully with the whole process

Was very interesting. Set in beautiful surroundings. Mandy was very knowledgeable and friendly.

Great location, If your ever in the Lake District it’s definitely worth checking it out ! We did the tour and it was very informative and enjoyed the tasting at the end. The staff were friendly and very helpful . Sadly we didn’t eat at the bistro as had a booking elsewhere but will definitely be back to try that soon.

First I shall apologise if the review is a bit all over the place I’m a little light headed from the tasting.

This was a last moment decision to come to the distillery as we drove past yesterday and saw the sign for it.
Having never been to one before I had no idea what to expect.
My self and partner arrived and it looked as though they were about ready to close but the young lady over heard us talking about the tour and she arranged it and took us round.
What happened over the next hour was amazing her time and dedication to being informative and interesting sharing both her personal experiences and knowledge along with those in the distillery telling us about the process of whiskey making along with gin and vodka. I and my European partner were very interested and found the tour informative and interesting.
The building is beautiful and the locations you go through on the tour are too the passion and the will to make the greatest whiskey just shines through.
Then we went onto the tasting we were presented with a sample of their No 4 (sold out and sells for £100s) and a sample of gin we then had vodka my partner was very keen to try as she has said to me about “proper vodka” she was surprised by it and got her self a bottle.
The shop just makes you feel the urge to buy because it is so well laid out and invokes “buy me” feelings.
So we did and the lady that served us couldn’t of been more helpful helping box up what I wanted and made every effort to accommodate my requests.

I would say this is a must for anyone who has time to stop in.

As a Founder member I am very pleased with the progress of the Lakes Distillery and am eager to see what exciting developments the future has in store. I recently received an email that detailed how to make a White Lady Cocktail. 50ml Lakes Gin, 25ml Cointreau, 25 ml lemon juice shaken and chilled with ice and strained into a Martini glass. WOW! Love it. Just to say to everyone, give it a try, you won't be disappointed.

Absolutely beautiful Distillery, definitely a must-see!
Blown away by their Single Malt Whiskies and their Lakes Gin is my new all-time favourite gin now!

Excellent experience in the Bistro. Staff were warm and friendly and food was delish. Really impressed with their COVID procedures and how they sanitized after every guest. Felt very safe. Will definitely visit again 😀