The Lakes Distillery has announced Brendan McCarron as its new whiskymaker. McCarron succeeds Sarah Burgess, who the distillery says is leaving to "pursue an opportunity closer to her home in Scotland". Burgess joined the Lakes from the Macallan in 2023.

Over his two-decade career in whisky, McCarron has worked with multiple brands and distilleries, including a stint as master distiller for Distell, responsible for brands including Bunnahabhain and Tobermory, and head of maturing whisky stocks under Dr Bill Lumsden at Glenmorangie. Most recently, McCarron has been a consultant distiller, last year helping to launch Benbecula Distillery. 

McCarron will take over as whiskymaker for the Lakes from 1st September, working alongside Grace Firth, assistant whiskymaker, and Bruce Smith, head of distilling & whisky operations.

Established in 2011, the Lakes Distillery won World's Best Single Malt in 2022 for its Whiskymaker's Reserve No.4, becoming the first English distillery to claim the title. This year, Burgess led on the release of Signature, its first permanent style of single malt whisky to be globally available.

The distillery has a focus on élevage — a technique used more often in wine and Cognac. Through élevage, the way in which the whisky ages is altered in order to accentuate the "desired characteristics" within the liquid. 

Speaking on his appointment, McCarron commented: "I am delighted to be stepping into this new role at what is an incredibly exciting time for the Lakes.

"Following the launch of Signature single malt whisky — a significant flag in the sand for the Lakes — I look forward to working with this brilliant team to develop what comes next. Élevage provides endless opportunities for flavour development, and I feel privileged to be able to work with such an innovative, future-facing distillery."

Eric Heerema, owner and CEO of the Nyetimber Group, which acquired the Lakes in 2024, added: "It is very exciting for us to be announcing the appointment of Brendan McCarron as the new whiskymaker at the Lakes. Brendan has long been renowned in the whisky industry for having worked with some outstanding distilleries and brands, and for having a vast skillset and range of experience.

"Our key focus at the Lakes is to embrace and explore the possibilities of using élevage to create innovative and intriguing flavours for our premium single malt whiskies. Having Brendan at the forefront of this will be a fantastic asset for The Lakes whiskymaking moving forward."