AT a top secret location, whisky maturing in 7,000 wooden casks which once contained sherry performs its magic, extracting flavours from the oak.

At today’s prices the amber liquor is worth £100million as the world goes mad for a whisky increasingly supplied by a Cumbrian distillery.

The decade-old story of The Lakes Distillery is the stuff of movies as two men – Paul Currie and Nigel Mills – fulfilled an ambition by converting a model farm into a model business that now produces the luxury drink and helps to attract millions of visitors to the county.

After attracting the former lead whisky maker at The Macallan, Sarah Burgess, to the distillery near Bassenthwaite lake, The Lakes Distillery also has a new chief executive, James Pennefather, who has returned to his spiritual home.

“My great great grandfather and my great grandfather were from Broughton-in-Furness and my grandmother met my grandfather when his ship was being built in Barrow,” said James.

“The family has always kept a home here. While we spent time travelling the world, the place we always had for stability was the Lakes.”

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His timing could not have been better. Last year The Lakes Distillery passed a major landmark, producing its millionth litre of ‘pure alcohol’ in its Still House.

While the Still House is capable of doubling production James’ team is now looking for more warehousing for the casks.

“In the past two years we have doubled spirit making and we are going to double it again in the next five,” he said.

“Last year, from July to December, we saw 31 per cent net sales growth and single malt whisky sales have grown by 85 per cent year on year, so we are in a very rapid expansion phase. Bringing in Sarah to be the lead whisky maker has been transformative.

“I first visited The Lakes Distillery on a tour with my family and I was blown away by the ambition of the company, the vision and the quality of the whisky.

“What shone through was a passion to create a remarkably complex and multi-layered liquid, and an unwavering ambition to reach way beyond its borders. Our ambition now is to win a one per cent share of the $10bn global, luxury dark spirits market by 2030.

"We have already achieved four per cent in the UK, but with the UK market itself only representing two per cent of the global market the opportunity is for international expansion.”