A couple of weekends ago one of my best friends from university came up to visit us. It had just been her birthday so we decided to treat her to something special. Now, what greater gift for a self-proclaimed gin lover than to attend a local distillery tour? Luckily for us, Lytham Gin’s distillery was right around the corner and offered tours and tastings for £25 per head – perfect! Now, I will admit, this was not an entirely selfless gift as Corey and I had been wanting to attend the distillery since our discovery of its whereabouts while chatting to the company at several summer festivals (where of course, we’d make a beeline for the Lytham Gin stand!), and this seemed like the perfect excuse to go along and check it out!
I am wanting to start a series on my blog which turns the spotlight onto my local surroundings to showcase some of the fantastic places to visit, eateries to try and things to do around the Lancashire, Cumbria and West Yorkshire areas which we love so much. What better place to start than very close to home with the Lytham Gin distillery tour and tasting session.
Lytham Gin Background …
Lytham Gin is the lovechild of former secondary school chemistry teacher, Sara Dewhurst. Who began distilling as a hobby five years ago in her utility room! Since then, due to her unique affinity for infusions and her imaginative use of products around the local area, Lytham Gin has blossomed into a thriving business.
Lytham Gin puts a unique and local spin on classic and sometimes more curious gin flavours which we have been sampling since we took up residence in the area a few years ago. Lytham Gin has come a long way since it’s humble beginnings and this two-man band company has thrived during the pandemic and is now greatly loved among punters, bars and restaurants alike along the Fylde Coast and is even stocked in the Booths supermarket chain.
Lytham Gin Distillery Tour…
We love that each of Lytham Gin’s liquors tells a story and many of the flavours are routed snuggly in the history surrounding Lytham and the Fylde Coast. Therefore, we thought it was high time we go and take a closer look ourselves, learn more about the gin we love so much and of course, figure out which bottle to try next! We arrived at the distillery and Sara greeted us at the door. Now, I will put this out there now, it isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing distillery tour as it does operate out of a warehouse. Do not expect the glistening, showroom, and grand, glass-fronted shop you may come across at larger scale distilleries, because this is not that kind of place. However, appearances aside, the tour of the distillery was incredibly informative. I was initially sceptical when I saw the very small scale distillery as to how Sara could stretch the viewing of her workspace into a full-blown tour but I was pleasantly surprised. We were able to get incredibly involved, touch, taste, smell and activate the senses and we were given full grace to ask any and all questions which sprung to mind. But what truly made the tour so enjoyable was Sara herself; Sara was an incredibly interesting and innovative woman who was a pleasure to talk to and was fantastically knowledgeable about her products. It’s not every day you get a personal tour of a gin company by the owner themselves and it truly made all the difference! Sara’s love of food and flavour is obvious as she took us around her chemistry playground getting us to smell the additives used in gin production from herbs, spices, plants and berries, down to a few more unusual additions.
Her passion for her products came through in every explanation of the process and every sip of liquor after that and we loved how personal the tour felt in comparison to many of the larger distilleries we’ve experienced.
Lytham Gin Tasting…
Though the distillery wasn’t the most pleasing on the eye, the tasting veranda was quite the opposite! Sat above the shopfloor a rooftop bar was stocked with glistening bottles, fairy lights offered a cosy glow and green vines added a splash of welcome colour. It was an impressive scene change from the industrial setting below and was the perfect backdrop to start trying some alcohol!
A station was set up with glasses and a variety of savoury nibbles. We were provided with ice, quality mixers, and a number of garnish choices to complement each drink. We then went to town on the tasting!
Lytham Gin Liquors…
The products speak for themselves as quite a few are award winning. From their Original Dry, Bees Knees which has an addictive lingering of honey on the tongue and Navigator – a gin which would pass the ignition test on a naval ship. If you’re not a big gin drinker, then never fear for Lytham Gin has diversified into rum too, much to Corey’s delight. They currently have a range of 4 rums, all with wonderfully unique flavours – Jamaican Gingerbread, Golden Pineapple (which goes exceptionally with cola!), White Chocolate and Coconut and their newest addition for the autumn – Toffee Apple. If you thought this was enough, Sara also works with several other companies to develop signature gins and liquors. Despite some customer’s unusual requests – including a gin made from barley hops (!) – Sara impressively manages to create fantastic products no matter how wild the idea! From the sounds of the tour Sara is always cooking up something in the pipeline and I personally can’t wait to try any new flavours she creates!
The bottles and packaging are beautiful, in fact we keep all our empties as decorative candle holders! But, for the eco- warriors amongst us, they also do re-fillable pouches so you do not have to purchase additional bottles if you’d rather recycle and re-use. It’s little touches like this which I personally really love about Lytham Gin Company.
How Much Does A Lytham Gin Tour Cost?
For a distillery tour and tasting it was £25 (£20 on a weekday) each which has to be booked in advance.
The tour included a look around the distillery and a walk through the gin making process followed by a tasting in the upstairs mezzanine with nibbles, mixers and a very generous selection of liquors to try.
With each tour ticket you received £10 off a bottle of your choosing to be redeemed in the shop at the end of the tour.
The gins range from £5 for the 5cl taster bottles to £42 for some of the 70cl bottles.
The rums range from £5 for the 5cl taster bottles to £34 for the 70cl bottles.
There are also a variety of tasting sets showcasing a variety of flavours which are perfect for gifts (or if you just can’t make up your mind!).
If you would like to learn more about Lytham Gin, buy their products or book a tour and tasting follow this link through to their website.
Parting Thoughts…
Lytham Gin was one of the most engaging distillery tours I’ve attended. Not because of the scale or aesthetics, but because of the passion, personality and personal touches involved in the spirits and experience. So, if you’re a liquor lover in Lytham, this is certainly one to try!
