Virtual Ginuary Tasting Programme 28th January 2023

What inspired you to begin making gin and what do you love about the distillation process?

I actually got interested in gin through my Grandmother. She kept cases under the stairs at her house and her family were actually the owners of Greenall’s gin so I have 8 generations of distillers behind me, Granny made a mean G&T!

So I think I was always destined to try my luck at distilling and I have always particularly enjoyed the aromas that permeate through a gin distillery and also the change in the flavaour profile of the distillate as it flows out of the condenser. I am a huge fan of citrus and coriander and definitely more of a Dry Gin person but I have had some fun experimenting with interesting and unique botanicals. I suppose the key thing for me is the ensure we maintain the consistency though.

What did Berkshire Botanical Distillery look like in the early days?

I initially developed the Berkshire Dry recipe in Harry, our 50 litre pot still which is based in The Royal Oak in Yattendon. I was looking to develop something that used a local botanical and the Yattendon Estate is the largest producer of Christmas trees in the UK. We use Norway Spruce in the recipe from the estate on which we own a few of the trees to ensure we can cater for each batch. From those small beginnings we have developed 3 other recipes and also produce an estate Sloe gin which is very popular at this time of year! We also moved to a new site on Child’s Court Farm a little outside the village where we have Cecilia, our 200 litre still.

What is your perfect serve?

The perfect serve would be a G&T with Indian tonic water and garnished with a Lemon slice/wedge and a sprig of Spruce. Although it makes a superb Martini too J!

What do you love about gin / distilling?

One of the things I love about Gin is that it is so versatile. Flavour wise you can go through a spectrum. From sweet to savoury. Unless you are going for something super traditional, there are no wrong answers.

But I think most of all, I love the community and people I have met through gin and distilling. I have always been a “people person” and anything that brings together as many people as gin does, is a winner for me.

What was your favourite moment from 2022?

A couple of favourite moments from 2022. Receiving a silver award from The Global Spirits Masters in our first year was an incredibly proud feeling. Also at The Gin To My Tonic Show in Brighton. I sold out and had to drive the distillery in the break to grab more gin. A clear sign it was going down well!

What has been your biggest challenge so far?

I would say my biggest challenge so far has been learning all aspects of growing this business. From the creation of the gin, to selling it. Then maintaining the prementioned whilst also trying to expand and grow. The phrase “spinning plates” springs to mind!

What made you choose botanicals you chose for your gin?

I knew I wanted to use tea in the gin alongside the citrus notes. I also wanted to keep the botanicals, as far as possible, linked to the North East. Lord Earl Grey is a figure from the North East (there’s even a Nelson’s Column-style monument in the centre of Newcastle of him) and Earl Grey is also my favourite kind of tea, so it seemed to make sense! Additionally, the plans for this gin began during Lockdown 2020 when Black Lives Matter protests were prolific in the news. Lord Earl Grey was a key figure in the abolition of slavery so it seemed it was the perfect match!

For the citrus aspect (as Earl Grey is best served with a slice of lemon) lemon seemed to be the perfect pairing. However, we thought initially that it was too strong and so opted for dried citrus peel alongside the addition of Lemon Verbena. This then gives quite a smooth, balanced gin and depending on an individuals palate, some get more of the Earl Grey and some get more of the citrus!

Do you have any exciting plans for 2023?

Yes! A top secret summer gin, focusing on my favourite Mediterranean flavours. Think, a great gin for a Dry Martini!

Would you ever consider branching away from Gin and experimenting with other spirits?

Currently, no. I love gin too much and don’t yet have the facilities to diversify. But, who knows what the future holds?!

What inspired you to start a distillery?

Matt and I became gin lovers back in 2013 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and it was just suggested he switch from drinking beer to clear spirits and sugar free mixers. We started experimenting with gin when craft gin was relatively new and we attended the festivals and ordered a different craft gin every month as a treat. We visited loads of distilleries and found the process fascinating. When we became involved in setting up one eight six in Manchester, we decided to create our own range of gins, that we knew had no added sugars or artificial sweeteners. We began using a local distillery to distil our gins initially before investing in two beautiful 200l copper stills. Our distillery in Manchester Will be open to view within one eight six in march and we have just expanded into a second site in Blackpool which we hope will be open for tours around the same time.

What do you love about the distillation process?

The smells. Our distillery always smells incredible. We of course enjoy tasting too and have gone from struggling to try gin neat to now tasting it coming off the still at 85 percent.

What was your favourite moment of 2022?

Our favourite moment was launching in partnership with ITV, coronation street’s Wonky Duck gin. It was a labour of love and took months of development and lots of sleepless nights. But we are so proud of the finished product and we can’t wait to see where it takes us.

How did winning The Gin To My Tonic Bursary Award benefit the distillery?

We were over the moon to be chosen as the first recipients of the TGTMT Bursary Award which was a highlight of our multi-award-winning year in 2022. We’ve had the pleasure of showcasing a number of times at the fantastic Gin To My Tonic Shows which has allowed us to meet and introduce our gins to new customers, some of which that have become huge Fairham Gin fans, and it has also given us the opportunity to meet like-minded distillers who are on the same journey as us.

Do you have any exciting plans for 2023?

2022 saw us stall on releasing a Third Edition, purely due to the fact we weren’t happy with the final result we were getting. We’ve made some tweaks, done a lot of testing and we’re confident in adding to our Core Range very soon. We’ve now also got our Limited Edition and Cocktail Range that we launched at the end of 2022 that proved a huge success with our sold-out Limited-Edition Vol.1 Chocolate, Orange and Spiced release, so we’re always coming up with new ideas to provide you with something tasty to fill your glass… watch this space and look out for us at some events!

What made you choose the botanicals in your Signature Gin?

Signature Edition is a real labour of experimentation and pushing the boundaries. We first started developing Signature in March 2020 and it took us over 12 months to really nail the final recipe which was released in April 2021. With this expression we wanted to go against the grain and create a ‘Signature’ London Dry gin that wasn’t just juniper, we wanted it to stand out from the crowd and be quintessential Fairham Gin. There are botanicals we use and methods we follow that aren’t done by many other distilleries, such as using vapour infusion as a 100% method, meaning botanicals don’t touch the neutral grain alcohol in our copper still, and cutting out the chill filtration stage, with the natural oils coming out in a pearlescent haze when you chill the gin or mix it with ice and mixer. This aids in a fresh, smooth and complex gin that shines with the use citrus from lemon, pink grapefruit, kaffir lime, key lime, physalis, kumquat and Seville orange. We describe this Edition as modern juniper with bright fresh citrus, allowing the juniper to come through on the forefront which is followed by delicate citrus layers, giving it its unique Signature taste.