Lytham Gin By Sarah Ridgway
Sara Dewhurst started Lytham Gin from her tiny utility room three years ago, since then the craft gin brand has grown tremendously.
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oday, Lytham Gin is a multiaward-winning craft gin produced in a large industrial unit, with an onsite shop and tasting room. Lancashire is very much at the heart of the brand and whether it is honey, berries, or botanicals it all comes from the region so there is a little bit of Lancashire in every drop.
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Tell us about the company and what led you to found Lytham Gin? Originally, I was a chemistry teacher and after a while, I decided I wanted to do something different and bought a deli. I loved teaching but another big interest of mine was food and drink. I did that for about 18 months before starting to miss the science aspect of my life. I had spent 24 years in the science laboratory and before that, I was an industrial chemist, and I missed the hands-on practical side of making. The idea for making gin came from a Christmas shopping weekend in Manchester with my husband.
LANCASHIRE & NORTH WEST MAGAZINE
I ordered a gin and tonic at the hotel bar as I have always enjoyed them and there were more than 30 different types of gin behind the bar. They stocked a Manchester Gin, a Liverpool Gin, an Edinburgh Gin and lots of other geographical gins. I chose my gin and I sat back down with my husband and said, “I am sure there would be a market for a Lytham Gin.” We talked about the concept all weekend and then forgot about it over Christmas. January rolled around and I suddenly remembered what we had been talking about and I said I’m going to do this! I applied for my licence and by March I was a qualified distiller and sold my first bottle of gin at the end of April 2018. I sold the delicatessen and now run Lytham Gin full time. I have a team of three employees who are brilliant. I also create gin for other businesses and we have just started exporting to Hong Kong and Singapore. How integral has your own scientific background been in your journey and has it given you an advantage? It’s definitely given me an advantage. I have an in depth understanding of distillation and I’m very aware of the risks associated with the process. I’m particularly interested in the chemistry of organic flavour molecules. Understanding how ethanol behaves as a solvent allows me to extract www.lancmag.com
