Love Letters from Britain, a new series of documentary-style films, uncovers the untold stories behind some of Britain's most beloved brands.
Produced by BBC Storyworks Commercial Productions for Walpole, the association for British luxury brands, the series seeks to inspire a global audience by showcasing companies who lead the way in defining a new era of innovation, creativity, and dialogue in response to a changing world.
Featuring Bentley, dunhill, Jo Malone London, Molton Brown, Mulberry, The Balvenie, ourselves and more, each film has its own distinct narrative, with uniting themes; from a genuine commitment to sustainability to the preservation of traditional skills and the reframing of craft through a forward-looking lens.
Explore the full series at:
If you're outside of the UK, go to www.lovelettersfrombritain.com
Dictating the flow and character, a whiskymaker can choose to follow in the footsteps of those who have come before or opt for a more philosophically interesting approach and create something different and personal.
That is the path taken by our whiskymaker Dhavall Gandhi, who respects the traditions of whiskymaking heritage but is open to a world of new inspiration.
Expressing emotions, ideas and feelings through the language of whisky, Dhavall adds his own creative personal influences. Working backwards from the final vision through each stage of the process, he nurtures and enhances the flavours needed to make the final whisky.
Unlike traditional whiskymaking, the idea that different people are responsible for distinct individual elements of the process is not how we look at the art.
Rather, it is a net of possibilities where everything is interlinked. Change one element and the effect will change everything else.
That is why our whiskymaker is responsible for the whole continuum. It is holistic whiskymaking with an unrelenting focus on creating flavour at every stage of the spirit's journey.
Dhavall Gandhi, The Lakes Whiskymaker,
The Lakes Distillery Whisky Studio and our Whiskymaking team
Just like every artist paints a landscape differently, each whiskymaker approaches his art in a different way.
At The Lakes, single malt whisky is all about flavour and, with a pioneering approach, we build layer upon layer of complexity throughout every step of the process.
New make spirit is our canvas. We use oak to create a palette of colours that the artist can use to make the final masterpiece. The individual brushstrokes of that art are what a blender brings to the table.
Ultimately, we want to make a whisky that creates an emotional impact on the person drinking. That is why we focus on maturation and blending to create, enhance and contrast those flavours.
Taking inspiration from élevage - in the Cognac industry - active involvement in maturation allows us to layer the whisky with different characters. By moving the whisky around, we create a spectrum of flavour profiles; the palette of an artist.
This is dynamic, it is creative, it is expressive. It is also personal and comes from the heart.
Set amongst the backdrop of sustainable practices, trend-setting and transformation, ours is a story of modern craftsmanship.
Pushing the boundaries of whisky creation, it is a tale of innovation, with quality at its heart. Of taking a fresh and different approach, with an unrelenting focus on flavour.
Influenced by the serene and majestic beauty of the Lake District National Park, the unique interaction of spirit, oak and air has a huge role to play in making The Lakes Single Malt so unique. This is real whisky, made by real people, in a real place.
Looking not only at what whisky is but what it can become, we aspire to make whisky that we want to drink.
In the process, there will be things, we hope, which we do that will benefit the world of whisky, and our hopes and ambitions are to not only establish The Lakes Single Malt as one of the best sherry-matured single malts in the world but, in the process, to put England on the map as one of the finest whiskymaking regions.
"Our hopes and ambitions are to not only put The Lakes but England, on the map as one of the finest whisky-producing regions in the world."
Dhavall Gandhi, whiskymaker
