Gin specialists have raised a glass in celebration of their growing success after seeing their turnover top the six-figure mark.
It was only the fact that the cakes sold at Director Matt Felgate’s former café in Lincoln were so popular that encouraged him and his wife Jen to consider changing direction. That was after Jen spent so many hours in the kitchen constantly baking to keep up with demand.
“We thought we needed to make products with a longer shelf life and toyed with the idea of making gin, so we started experimenting at home. However, when we had a gin and tonic with a distiller at a national airport, a “lightbulb moment” crystallised the idea,”
said Matt.
“I realised the real potential in making gin and went on to take professional classes to hone my skills. Soon The Lincoln Distillery was born.”
Experimenting with botanicals - which add various delicate flavours to the finished product – then naturally testing it for taste – can be great fun. There’s also the temptation to try new “flavourings” too, all working with a grain spirit base.
Everything was going well until the Covid Pandemic hit and lockdown loomed but, undaunted, the distillery tapped into the challenge by producing hand sanitiser.
On reflection, that difficult period is why Matt is so proud to report that the enterprise he and Jen started over six years ago has come such a long way. So far, in fact, that Jen’s father John Lock also works in the business.
“During the pandemic work continued behind the scenes but, in reality, we have been producing drinks for more like three years, which is why we are delighted that we are in such a fantastically strong position today,”
said Matt.
The Lincoln Distillery, which is based on the Riverside Enterprise Park, Saxilby, sits right beside the famous Foss Dyke. The team uses locally gathered elderflower, liquorice root, beetroot and other flavourings in their products, which can take up to six hours to make and another three weeks before they are available for sale.
The Distillery’s produces its flagship its Spirit of Lincoln Dry Gin, Cask Aged and Navy Gin and the team also enjoy offering bespoke bottles, such as those labelled for RAF stations, private companies and organisations and, of course, commemorative occasions.
What became Lincoln’s first distillery since 1863 is also justifiably proud of its range of vodka, rum and gin liqueurs.
The distillery’s success story continues, but more recently it has had to rise to another challenge - the increased delays, rising shipping costs and import taxes created by Brexit. An example of this is the time and cost involved in bringing in special bottles from Italy.
However, Matt, Jen and John have plenty to smile about thanks to a growing customer base which includes county pubs and restaurants, those in other parts of the UK and also customers in Jersey.
Recently Lincoln’s Civic Party delivered a taste of Lincolnshire to the Burgermeister in the city’s twin town Neustadt an der Weinstrasse in Germany. Visitors to this year’s crowd pulling Lincolnshire Show were also able to snap-up bottles of the distillery’s products in the Food Court and Co-op Marquee.
https://thelincolndistillery.co.uk/