The Lakes Whiskymaker's Editions Cascade: A Lighter, Floral English Whisky from Cumbria
One of 1,002 individually numbered bottles | 46.6% Alc. | 70cl | Non-chill filtered, natural colour
Key Information
Distillery: The Lakes Distillery
Region: Cumbria, England
Type: Single malt English whisky
Alcohol: 46.6% Alc.
Volume: 70cl
Maturation: An eclectic mix of casks
Filtration: Non-chill filtered
Colour: Natural colour
Tasting Notes
Nose
Fresh-cut flowers, stone fruit, digestive biscuit, a wisp of coffee, dried fruit and vanilla.
Palate
Wood spice, vanilla, crème caramel, dried fruit and cracked black pepper.
Finish
Long, with a coffee caramel sweetness.
What Makes Cascade Distinctive
- Part of The Lakes' Whiskymaker's Editions: a series of one-off releases sitting apart from the distillery's core range.
- One of the first releases from Sarah Burgess, who became The Lakes' whiskymaker in January 2023.
- Matured across an eclectic mix of casks rather than the sherry-forward profile The Lakes is best known for.
- Limited to 1,002 individually numbered bottles.
- Bottled non-chill filtered and at natural colour, so nothing is stripped out or added back for appearance.
Perfect For
Drinker types
Collectors building out a Lakes Distillery or English whisky selection; drinkers who prefer a lighter, floral single malt to a heavily sherried one; anyone curious about one-off, small-batch English whisky.
Occasions
A considered gift for a whisky-loving friend or relative; a bottle to open and discuss with other collectors; a dram to sit with after a meal.
About The Lakes Distillery
The Lakes Distillery was founded in 2011 by Paul Currie, who co-founded Isle of Arran Distillery, on a former farmstead beside the River Derwent in the Lake District National Park near Penrith, Cumbria. We think the Whiskymaker's Editions series is where The Lakes does its most interesting work: each release gives whiskymaker Sarah Burgess room to experiment away from the distillery's usual sherry-led house style, and Cascade, with its lighter, floral character, is a good example of what that freedom produces.
Understanding English Whisky
English whisky is still a young category next to Scotch, with most of its distilleries founded since the early 2010s. That relative youth gives producers like The Lakes more room to experiment with cask combinations and house style than many longer-established distilleries, which is exactly what one-off series like the Whiskymaker's Editions are built to explore.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is The Lakes Whiskymaker's Editions Cascade similar to Scotch whisky?
A: Not directly. Cascade is a single malt made using production methods similar to Scotch, but it is distilled and matured in Cumbria rather than Scotland, and its lighter, floral, stone fruit character sits apart from The Lakes' usual sherry-led house style. It is worth trying alongside a Scotch single malt to see how English whisky is developing its own identity.
Q: What cask was Cascade matured in?
A: The Lakes Distillery describes Cascade as the product of an eclectic mix of casks rather than a single, named cask type. That is a deliberate choice: the Whiskymaker's Editions series exists to let the whiskymaker combine casks and ideas outside the distillery's usual sherry-forward style.
Q: How should I serve this whisky?
A: Serve it neat or with a small splash of still water in a tulip-shaped glass, which helps bring out the floral and stone fruit notes. At 46.6% Alc. it can take a little water without losing character, though it is equally good taken neat.
Q: What is The Lakes Distillery known for?
A: The Lakes Distillery, in Cumbria's Lake District National Park, is best known for a sherry-led house style across its core single malt range. The Whiskymaker's Editions series, which includes Cascade, is where whiskymaker Sarah Burgess steps away from that house style to work with different cask combinations and flavour profiles.
Q: How many bottles of Cascade were released?
A: Cascade was released as a limited run of 1,002 individually numbered bottles, making it one of the smaller releases in The Lakes' Whiskymaker's Editions series.
