The Lakes Distillery has appointed a new master blender.

Dhavall Gandhi has taken the role after leaving a similar role with Macallan.

He is a chartered scientist in whisky distilling with a degree in brewing and distilling from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh.

Mr Gandhi has also previously worked for Dutch brewers Heineiken and in management consultancy.

The distillery, at Bassenthwaite, will be launching a single malt - The Lakes Malt - in May 2018.

Mr Ghandi said: “I’m looking forward to helping to create something new from the ground up and to having the rare opportunity to influence the house style of The Lakes Malt.

“The Lakes Distillery is a well-executed project and a Cumbrian success story. The state-of-the-art distillery offers a blank canvas and a potential for creativity that is unrivalled within the industry. This is my opportunity to continue telling the story through our brands.”

Paul Currie, managing director of the distillery said: “Dhavall will play a key role in ensuring that every bottle of each of our brands is of the very highest quality and he also brings many innovative ideas to ensure that all our products – whisky, gin and vodka - always offer something very special and unique."