The Princess Royal has been in the Lake District – keeping a promise she made seven years ago – and turning heads with a dramatic arrival by helicopter in a field.
Princess Anne opened the Lakes Distillery in Setmuthy, near Bassenthwaite, in 2017, before its malt whisky production was up and running.
But she vowed to return as soon as the casks were ready – and paid a flying visit to the distillery to sample its award-winning wares now they had matured in the cask.
Indeed the princess’s visit had originally been scheduled for September 8, but was postponed following the death of her mother, the Queen.
Lakes Distillery chief executive Nigel Mills said: “The princess was as good as her word, and we were able to present her with her long-awaited bottle of single malt.
“It’s always special when the royals visit. What I’ve found is that they genuinely take an interest in the place and the people, and Princess Anne is no exception.
“She spent time looking round at all our new developments as well as speaking to our staff individually. It really meant so much to everyone concerned.”
Earlier this year the Lakes Distillery’s Whiskymaker’s Reserve No 4 was judged to be the World’s Best Single Malt at the prestigious Whisky Magazine Awards.
