Northwest England’s Lancaster Spirits Company has begun production on its first single malt whisky. The whisky will be made in the brand’s new Whisky Room, a distillery and warehouse specially designed for Lancaster’s whisky.
Within the Whisky Room, which has been in progress for the past two years, is found a 3000-litre copper and steel pot still which the team have named Constance. The Whisky Room also features bespoke cask racking. Visitors were kept in mind during the design process; the distillery aims to showcase its whisky’s journey from distillation to tasting, with a special area dedicated to testing maturing casks.
Managing director Phil Simpson said: “We’ve invested a seven-figure sum to create this new venture for the Lancaster Spirits Company. We first started planning a whisky business during the Covid shutdown and it has taken a few years to realise our dreams. A real Lancastrian team effort — our sister company, Lancaster Brewery, will brew a special wash, specifically for the whisky distillery. Lancaster Spirits Co then takes over with the distilling, maturing and bottling of the whisky. Milling, brewing, fermenting, distilling, and maturing — all in one place.”
Joining the distillery to focus on whisky are Christopher Pateman as commercial manager and Joan Casals as production manager. Both come with whisky business credentials; Pateman has held commercial roles at Annandale and the Lakes Distillery, while Casals has worked for whisky producers including Halewood Artisanal Spirits.
Casals commented: “Since joining Lancaster Spirits Co I have been busy commissioning our new distillery and preparing everything needed to commence production this month. Our beautiful, shiny new still, Constance, is now up and running… Now I can start to focus on the most important element: ensuring that every drop of spirit coming out of our Whisky Room is superb.”
The Whisky Room opened for production on 8 July, and the brand expects to begin bottling its whisky from 2027. Whisky distillery tours will begin later in 2024.
