For two years, Rivêa was a bottle you had to cross the Atlantic to buy. The Lakes Distillery released it exclusively in the United States in April 2023, first in Chicago and Washington DC. Now The Whisky Shop has it as a UK exclusive at £99, which means the fragrant, Riviera-inspired single malt that American drinkers got first is finally within reach in Britain and across Europe.
Here is what Rivêa is, what the distillery says it tastes like, and whether the £99 asking price makes sense.
What is The Lakes Rivêa?
Rivêa is a limited English single malt in The Lakes Distillery’s Whiskymaker’s Editions series. It is bottled at 46.7% ABV, non-chill filtered, and carries its natural colour with no added caramel. It is a No Age Statement release, sold in 70cl format.
The Whiskymaker’s Editions sit apart from The Lakes’ core range. The distillery built its reputation on a sherry-led house style, most clearly expressed in the Whiskymaker’s Reserve line. The Editions are where the whiskymaker steps away from that template and chases a specific idea instead. Rivêa’s idea is the Ligurian Riviera: the stretch of Italian coast known for cliff-clinging towns, orange groves and turquoise coves. The label art, a sun-warmed Mediterranean harbour, tells you exactly where the whisky is meant to take you.
The cask recipe is the one thing The Lakes keeps back. There is no published breakdown of the specific casks behind Rivêa, which is normal for this series. What the distillery does say is that the profile leans bright, floral and fruit-forward rather than dark and sherried, which is the whole point of an Edition.
Who makes it: The Lakes Distillery
The Lakes Distillery was founded in 2011 in Cumbria, in the north west of England, near Bassenthwaite Lake in the Lake District. For international readers, that places it firmly in the English single malt category, a young but fast-growing part of the world whisky map rather than Scotch.
The distillery practises what it calls holistic whiskymaking, with one whiskymaker guiding the spirit from new make through cask selection and blending. That continuity is the argument behind the house style: a consistent, sherry-influenced character across the core range, and the confidence to break format when an Edition calls for it. Rivêa is one of those breaks.
The Lakes Rivêa tasting notes
These are the distillery’s official notes. We have not tasted this bottling ourselves, so treat the profile below as The Lakes’ own description rather than a Daily Whisky verdict on the liquid.
The Lakes Rivêa — tasting notes
Nose: ripe fig, candied fruit, blood orange, floral honeysuckle, oak spice
Palate: blood orange, sweet red summer fruit, nectarine, cherry compote, citrus peel
Finish: delicate, with fruit and spice settling into balance
ABV: 46.7% | Cask type:not publicly specified (a diversion from the sherry-led house style) | Price: £99 (70cl)
The through-line is clear enough: this is a bright, orchard-and-citrus style built around blood orange and stone fruit, with oak spice for structure rather than a heavy sherry core. If you know The Lakes only from its richer sherried bottlings, Rivêa is deliberately the other side of the house.
What makes this release worth noting
The story here is availability, not novelty. Rivêa is not new liquid, it launched in the US in 2023 and has been an international exclusive since. What has changed is that UK and European buyers can now get it through The Whisky Shop without importing, and at a sterling price rather than a US shelf price plus shipping and duty.
There is also a nice contrast worth appreciating on its own terms. A Cumbrian distillery, sitting beside an English lake, building a whisky around the Italian Riviera and then selling it first to America. English single malt is still young enough that releases like this help define what the category can be, and The Lakes leaning into fruit-forward, travel-themed Editions is part of that.
Price and availability
Price: £99 for a 70cl bottle Where to buy: The Whisky Shop (UK exclusive), online and in its 22 UK shops ABV:46.7%, non-chill filtered, natural colour International shipping: The Whisky Shop ships worldwide, including the USA, so buyers in Denmark, Germany and beyond can order directly. Free standard UK delivery applies on this bottle within mainland UK.
At £99 it sits alongside the distillery’s other current Editions: the Kairos Edition is also £99, and Nostalgia is £95. That is consistent pricing across the series rather than a premium for Rivêa specifically.
Is The Lakes Rivêa worth £99?
For the right drinker, yes. If you like your single malt bright, floral and fruit-led, with blood orange and stone fruit doing the heavy lifting instead of dark sherry, Rivêa is squarely aimed at you. It is also an easy pick for anyone collecting the Whiskymaker’s Editions, or for buyers who have wanted this US-first bottle for two years and can now get it at home.
It is not the bottle for peat drinkers, and it is not for anyone chasing a big sherry-bomb or an age statement, since this is NAS and deliberately lighter than the house style. £99 for a non-chill-filtered, natural-colour, previously import-only English single malt is fair rather than cheap, and roughly what the rest of the series costs.
If the Mediterranean, orchard-fruit profile is your thing, this is a straightforward buy while The Whisky Shop has stock. Editions in this series do not come back once they sell through.
Frequently asked questions
What is The Lakes Rivêa? Rivêa is a limited English single malt from The Lakes Distillery in Cumbria, part of its Whiskymaker’s Editions series. Inspired by the Ligurian Riviera, it is a bright, fruit-forward whisky bottled at 46.7% ABV, non-chill filtered and natural in colour. It first launched in the US in 2023.
What does The Lakes Rivêa taste like? According to the distillery, Rivêa is fragrant and delicate, with ripe fig, blood orange, honeysuckle and oak spice on the nose. The palate brings blood orange, nectarine, cherry compote and sweet red summer fruit, leading to a delicate finish where fruit and spice come into balance.
How much does The Lakes Rivêa cost? The Lakes Rivêa costs £99 for a 70cl bottle as a Whisky Shop exclusive in the UK. That matches the pricing of other current Whiskymaker’s Editions such as Kairos at £99 and Nostalgia at £95.
Where can I buy The Lakes Rivêa? Rivêa is a UK exclusive to The Whisky Shop, available online and across its 22 UK stores. The Whisky Shop ships internationally, including to the USA and Europe, so buyers outside the UK can order directly rather than importing from the original US release.
What casks are used in The Lakes Rivêa? The Lakes has not published the specific cask recipe for Rivêa, which is standard for the Whiskymaker’s Editions. The series is designed as a diversion from the distillery’s sherry-led house style, and Rivêa’s profile is deliberately brighter and more citrus and stone-fruit driven than the core range.
Is The Lakes a good distillery? The Lakes Distillery, founded in 2011 in the Lake District, is one of England’s better-known single malt producers. It is best known for a sherry-led house style in its Whiskymaker’s Reserve range, while the Whiskymaker’s Editions show the distillery exploring different flavour directions.
Leave a Reply