The Lakes Distillery
The Lakes Distillery
4.5
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 11:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:30 PM
About
The Lakes Distillery, established in 2011, nestles on the north shore of Bassenthwaite Lake. Our majestic surroundings near Keswick inspire our artistic ethos and our ranges of fine whiskies, gins and vodka. Visitors enjoy tours of our state-of-the-art distillery and tastings of our award-winning spirits. Our distillery store is fully stocked with our entire product ranges as well as giftware from other local makers. Informal dining and beverages are available too at The Bistro at The Distillery, showcasing locally sourced ingredients and products. Our warm welcome in a scenic setting extends from a quick coffee with homemade cake to a leisurely lunch, afternoon tea or a delicious three-course supper.
Duration: 2-3 hours
Suggest edits to improve what we show.
Improve this listing
What is Travellers’ Choice?
Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

The area
See what travellers are saying
  • SaraJohnstone
    Ayr, United Kingdom174 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fantastic
    Went for a meal, tour and the whisky/chocolate pairing tasting. Each and every part of the experience was wonderful. All staff were helpful, knowledgeable and friendly. I especially appreciated the bistro working with my dietary needs to adjust a meal for me. It is worth mentioning it is set against dramatic views synonymous with the Lake District, and walking around to see the alpacas there was a lovely bonus!
    Visited April 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 3 April 2023
  • Nicola Pattimore
    11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Best distillery tour
    We did a tour here and our guide Sonja was brilliant. There’s real history in this site and the tour is brilliant, with a mix of done great videos, walking round the distillery and tasting at the end. We tasted the whisky, gin & vodka which are all lovely. The shop is great and there’s a lovely bistro here too. Fabulous & highly recommended
    Visited May 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 20 May 2023
  • Steve
    Swanage, United Kingdom3 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Fabulous Experience!
    We’re staying in Keswick for a week and The Lakes Distillery was a recommendation from a friend who used to live nearby. And we were not disappointed. It’s a lovely place, a conversation as we understood it from a Victorian farm, and the tour experience was great, with the very knowledgeable Simon, including tastings of the whisky, gin and vodka, which was worth every penny. We also took the opportunity to have lunch while we were here, and the on site bistro served up a fabulous Sunday lunch. We couldn’t leave without buying some souvenirs from the extremely well stocked shop. A great experience. Highly recommended.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 9 July 2023
  • Kevin Feather
    London, United Kingdom72 contributions
    4.0 of 5 bubbles
    A lovely surprise visit!
    Stopped by as passing and really surprised by the beautiful venue. Sadly didn’t have time to take part in one of the whiskey tours, so can’t comment on whether value for money or not. But we did stop at the their bistro for amazing sharing meals with drinks, it’s a lovely setting and the food beat expectations, which is always a delight.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 15 July 2023
  • Aaron R
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Beautiful Distillery, superb tour, outstanding products!
    A beautiful Distillery and a wonderful tour experience/tasting. Our tour guide was superb and had the passion and knowledge you would expect to see. The tour was very well organised and has dedicated, lovely facilities. A wonderful brand with a great new take on making Whisky especially but also a superb tasting Vodka and Gin. The shop has a superb range of products and free samples to try before you buy (or not buy) Great that there is no pushy sales pitch at any point. Thank you all!… a really great experience as part of our holiday… we left with bags full of goodies for ourselves and as gifts for others who we know will love equally!
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 18 July 2023
  • shauny99
    6 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    If you like your spirits, worth a visit
    Well worth a visit, combining a distillery tour and lunch, oh and tea and scone afterwards in the courtyard. A very informative tour around the distillery, followed by a tasting session. I've been purchasing The Lakes products for a few years now but the tasting session opened my eyes to the vodka (as well as the great whisky). Staying in Cockermouth, we caught the local bus (x4) that stops outside the distillery, meant that I could sample the great products at lunch and after!
    Visited July 2023
    Written 21 July 2023
  • elena k
    1 contribution
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Well worth a visit
    Great tour presented by a knowledgeable, passionate host with very obvious love of the place and the product. I am not a whiskey drinker but may now change my mind. Beautiful drop and much enjoyed neat. Same with gin - shame to insult it with tonic, even if it was Fevertree. All in all, great couple of hours In beautiful surroundings. Rainy day saviour
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 23 July 2023
  • Phillip G
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Distillery Tasting Tour
    Very professional and informative 1 hour tour of this new and niche distillery. You get to see all stages of the process and then taste a sample of whiskey, gin and vodka. If you are seriously considering buying, you can sample some more in the shop. Good value for money. Staff really friendly.
    Visited July 2023
    Travelled with friends
    Written 25 July 2023
  • Anne B
    Cleethorpes, United Kingdom11 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    A thoroughly splendid afternoon.
    A great and informative tour of the distillery with a tasting of the whiskey, vodka and gin plus if you a driver you get the them to take away so no one misses out! Bistro cafe does an excellent scone with jam and clotted cream. A fabulous way to spend an afternoon. Staff in shop friendly and helpful and happy to provide tasting samples of their products. 10 or 20% off with a tour makes a purchase a must!
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 August 2023
  • LÅ‘rinc I
    2 contributions
    5.0 of 5 bubbles
    Great guide, nice place, excellent whiskies
    The place is beautiful,it was good to hear it's history even if it is a pretty new place. The tour was informative and our guide Rowan was very friendly and helpful, we had a great chat with him. I would definitely recommend to everyone who likes unique whiskies and wants to taste something new.
    Visited August 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 7 August 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

We perform checks on reviews.
Tripadvisor’s approach to reviews
Before posting, each Tripadvisor review goes through an automated tracking system, which collects information, answering the following questions: how, what, where and when. If the system detects something that potentially contradicts our community guidelines, the review is not published.
When the system detects a problem, a review may be automatically rejected, sent to the reviewer for validation, or manually reviewed by our team of content specialists, who work 24/7 to maintain the quality of the reviews on our site.
Our team checks each review posted on the site disputed by our community as not meeting our community guidelines.
Learn more about our review moderation.
4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles1,924 reviews
Excellent
1,243
Very good
432
Average
168
Poor
52
Terrible
29

thomasq604
Sunderland, MA12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2024 • Friends
We really enjoyed our visit,found it really interesting,have visited in the past also.lovely staff really friendly.
Written 3 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Dankatem31
Skipton, UK179 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
We booked the tour in advance before our weekend away. It’s in an incredible setting and the renovation work that has been done is stunning.
The tour itself was really interesting and our guide Jamie was brilliant, bringing humour into the experience as well as his knowledge was great. Definitely recommend the tour and tasting experience.
Written 27 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Chris S
Carlisle, UK8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Visited at the Shareholders Tour and Tasting Day. Excellent tour followed by a superb and well priced meal. Service and food were both really good. A really interesting day.
Written 24 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

lynn m
Hyde, UK5 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Had an amazing time on the whisky and chocolate pairing tour yesterday. We booked it in 2020 but was cancelled due to covid but our booking was still honoured some 3 years later. We were greeted by Janice on arrival and she couldn’t do enough for us. Jamie took us on the tour which was extremely informative and the whisky and chocolate pairing was amazing. The staff are a credit to The Distillery and made a great day out for us. We ended with a lovely meal in The Bistro and some indulgent purchases in the shop followed by an offer from Janice to take us home if the bus didn’t arrive. Incredible service and a highly recommended day out!
Written 11 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jonny S
Barnard Castle, UK413 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Great great venue and interesting tour learning about the whisky and techniques used to create it.
One part we mis judged was looking forward to having a meal at the bistro after but found out after that is was closed on a Monday
Written 6 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

louise
Huddersfield, UK8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Bought a tour for family as a birthday treat for my whisky-loving dad. A small group of 8 were expertly taken around the distillery by a very knowledgable colleague called Jack. The whole experience was highly enjoyable, very interesting and great to see in the flesh. We can now enjoy our Lakes Gin and Single Malts with a deeper understanding of how they were crafted. Thank you!
Written 4 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Alan T
2 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Visited this attraction as part of an offer with Appleby Manor Hotel. Arrived early at the venue and had a coffee in the lovely bistro before our tour then met Jack who took us around the Distillery. The tour was excellent, Jack was a very good guide answering all of our questions and going at a reaosnable pace. The tour finished with a tasting of their Gin, Whisky and Vodka which I can thoroughly recommend! All in all a brilliant visit with friendly staff and a beautiful venue. We would highly recommend!
Written 3 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

mjm2107
Glasgow, UK297 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
We visited The Lakes Distillery as part of a stay at Appleby Manor Hotel.

The tour was very informative and extremely interesting, and the girl taking the tour was very knowledgeable in the entire process.

I visited the distillery as a lifelong hater of whisky (pretty bad since I am Scottish…), however after being given guidance on how to truly appreciate the taste, I ended up buying a bottle of the Whiskymaker’s Reserve No. 7.

Would definitely recommend the tour.
Written 2 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

SLN1979
Leeds, UK9 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Brilliancy tour with Jamie - and tasting. Really knowledgeable , engaging and funny. Great experience. Enjoyed my salted caramel hot chocolate in the bistro and took home gifts. Really rec Mend it!
Written 2 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Suzanne T
Keswick, UK31 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2024 • Couples
Had lunch at the distillery restaurant today, we both had the small plates plus fries.Really delicious and more than enough.The staff were extremely pleasant and couldn’t do enough to make it a lovely experience.5 star….
Written 2 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

…
Showing results 1-10 of 1,921
Revenue impacts the experiences featured on this page, learn more.
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing

THE LAKES DISTILLERY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about The Lakes Distillery

The Lakes Distillery is open:
  • Sun - Mon 10:00 - 18:30
  • Tue - Sat 10:00 - 23:00