A whisky distillery has been named in the top 20 fastest growing privately owned food and beverage businesses in the UK.

The Lakes Distillery, at Setmurthy, near Bassenthwaite Lake, has been listed at number 19 in the Alantra Food & Beverage Fast 50 list.

With compound annual growth of 34.7 per cent and revenue of £6.2m, the distillery is the only whisky company in the top 20, and the only English whisky company on the list.

Alantra identified the £3.75m investment from Gresham House Asset Management in the distillery in 2019 as a particular example of how it had raised funds in order to grow.

Last month it was revealed the distillery had secured a £3.5m asset-based lending facility from Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance.

In January, the distillery also secured a £4.25m investment from Comhar Capital to support its growth plans.

Nigel Mills, co-founder and chief executive at the distillery, said: “As part of our vision to create one of the world’s leading single malt whiskies, we are investing in trebling our distillation capacity to meet future demand.

“The market is global and we need to have the right quantity of aged stock to continue our growth.

"If you recognise an opportunity like this and have the best people in the world, you have to be ready to seize the initiative.

"We needed investment to build a business that is in the right shape to be as successful as we expect it to be.”

The distillery is currently offering a home delivery service as it is closed to visitors.