Fairham Gin: How two 20-somethings from Penwortham are conquering gin world with distillery launched last year from outbuilding at their Lancashire home

Fairham Gin was launched in 2021 by Liam Stemson, 24, and Ellis McKeown, 25.

They began developing their Signature Edition recipe in 2020 using a three litre still in an outbuilding at their home on Fairham Avenue before moving to a small unit in South Ribble that houses their 60 litre copper pot still.

Now the distillery’s Ochre Edition picked up a highly-coveted three-star award and their Signature Edition, a one-star award.

Three stars is the highest star rating that a product can receive from Great Taste, being awarded to “extraordinarily tasty food and drink” and of the 14,205 entries from 110 different countries from across the world, only 1.5% of products achieved a 3-star award in 2022, putting Ochre Edition amongst the elite across all categories.

After being put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process, Ochre Edition was dubbed “a truly top-notch gin”.

The judges said: “We loved the immediate, fresh, juicy, authentic orange aroma of this gin, it could not be fresher. The pink grapefruit and juniper, clove, coriander warmth all came through on the palate and the transition from nose to taste was particularly special. The mouthfeel is full and well-rounded. The blend was incredibly balanced and nuanced and incredibly refreshing, juicy and delicious. It was even more uplifting with tonic. Wow.”

Signature Edition was also one of the 39.1% of products entered to receive a Great Taste award in 2022 after being described as “a perfect citrus-laden G&T experience”.

The judges added: “Signature Edition has a terrific nose - the complexity of rounded, intriguing citrus holds its own against bright juniper. The palate instantly impresses with sweetness, roundness, and a wealth of, indeed, exotic citrus.”

Ellis McKeown, one-half of Fairham Gin, talks about what it means for the distillery: “This is an enormous achievement for us and our Lancashire gin. The Great Taste 3-Star Awards are something you see on the very best products in supermarkets across the country, and we couldn’t be more proud to now be able to attach the unmistakable black and gold logo to our Ochre Edition bottle - a stamp of excellence that is recognised by retailers and consumers alike.”

Fairham Gin has flourished in its first year of business after launching in April 2021, with Ellis and Liam picking up numerous awards for their dry Lancashire gins.

The Penwortham pair aim to create editions that boast a contemporary take on a traditional dry gin.

Liam said: “To have two popular award-winning Editions in our range makes it all worthwhile and is the reason why we started our gin journey. We saw a gap in the market

where, despite the recent demand for flavoured gin, your traditional juniper-forward gin was making a comeback amongst consumers and we wanted to show that you can create something unique in terms of distinctive taste, profile and character, whilst still celebrating the main ingredient of what gin should be; the juniper.”

To try the award-winning gins from Fairham Gin visit www.no1fairhamgin.com.