The Lakes is releasing a duo of whiskies that are said to be a “story of progress” for the distillery, pushing the boundaries of English single malts.

The Apex Collection comprises two limited-edition expressions, Velocity and Revolución, which have been designed using élevage — a technique rarely seen in whisky production of which the distillery is a proud proponent.

Most commonly found in the production of Cognac and fine French wines, élevage (roughly translating as 'raising') is a technique that sees changes made to a whisky's maturation conditions to optimise the flavour and quality of the end product. This can include moving casks during the maturation process to harness the effect of different locations or climates, moving whisky from one cask type to another, or blending whiskies from different casks. 

The Apex Velocity (50.2% ABV) was produced using spirit from a clutch of oloroso sherry casks. It is designed to demonstrate the influence of age in whisky maturation — by accelerating the speed at which spirit, wood, and air interact. The Lakes says this approach has given the whisky “flavour and complexity way beyond its years”. 

All 583 individually numbered bottles of Velocity will be available exclusively through spirits merchant Berry Bros & Rudd from 7 May, priced at £600. The company's spirits buyer Rob Whitehead described the single malt as “a pivotal piece in any serious collection”.

With the Apex Revolución (52% ABV), the Lakes team aimed to defy convention (as the name may suggest) by producing a whisky that emulated the rich texture and flavour of a highly aged rum, without the use of rum casks.

It was blended from spirit aged in bespoke oloroso and Pedro Ximénez sherry casks to create “delectable rum-like flavours and fragrances”.

The Apex Revolución will be exclusively available from the distillery's on-site shop and from lakesdistillery.com

from 18 May, World Whisky Day. A total of 702 individually numbered bottles available, also priced at £600 each.