White Peak

The distillery has also created a Derbyshire gin

Derbyshire whisky producer White Peak Distillery has comfortably beaten its £500,000 crowdfunding target as it aims to build the premium brand in the UK and overseas.

Founded in 2016, husband-and-wife team Max and Claire Vaughan set out to build the first full-scale craft whisky distillery in the Peak District region.

The crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube marks the start of a pivotal year for the business as it readies for the release of its first single malt whisky, which must be aged for at least three years by law.

To support its growth, the distillery plans to add to its team and increase resources and expenditure on promotion, marketing and production.

It has now raised £911,000 from more than 400 investors and continues to overfund. The business has given away 6.3% equity in the Crowdcube pitch, valuing White Peak at £13.5m.

The distiller has now filled more than 950 casks – enough for about 400,000 bottles – with its Derbyshire whisky.

Max Vaughan said the journey so far had been “incredibly rewarding”.

“We’ve come through many challenges, including in the last 12 months, but the whole team are really passionate about the business we’re building,” he added.

“We’ve invested a lot in the distillery itself and have a significant volume of maturing whisky stocks.

“We’re now ready for the next exciting phase of building whisky sales both here in the UK and overseas. To make the most of this opportunity, and so we can accelerate our growth plans, we’ve decided to raise more funding.”