FOOD & DR INK
“Cambridge will soon be known for world-leading gin”
Despite their relatively low profile (“We had a Twitter account for the distillery, and I think this was around the very early days of Instagram, so nothing was happening there yet – and we had a website, which Will had built himself – but that was basically it,” says Lucy), the sheer quality of the spirits being created by this duo was starting to attract national attention, and it was clear that the couple would have to make some changes. “In 2012 Will went part time with his job in London: I was first to give in my notice, so I could do all the admin behind the scenes,” Lucy said. “We needed Will for the tailorings, of course, and then I did everything else around that – the bookings, invoicing and so on – and even distilling while he was still working. I remember giving in my notice and I was shaking, because it was such a big step for us: and my manager just went: “Oh, that’s a shame, but best of luck” – it was such an anti-climax!” Lucy laughs. In 2014 the Seasonal Gins were followed by Japanese Gin, the first in this now hugely popular sector, created from delicate Japanese flavours that were extractable via vacuum distillation and had been previously uncapturable in gin form – and then came their classic Cambridge Dry Gin, created from botanicals found in the couple’s back garden, and the fields and hedgerows
where they walked Darcy. There’s also a gin made from ants – one of the world’s most expensive gins – a truffle gin designed as a digestif and a never-ending line of monthly experimental spirits in the form of their limited-edition Prototype series: looking at their list of creations, it’s fairly straightforward to understand why the distillery’s been named three- consecutive times as the most innovative spirit-makers in the world. The days of churning rotary evaporators burbling happily in the Lowes’ living room are long gone: nowadays the couple head up a team of 30 across two sites: the Cambridge Gin Laboratory in the centre of our city, which teaches keen gin enthusiasts about the spirits they create, how to taste gin like a professional and even blend their very own bottle; and the Grantchester- based showroom and distillery itself. Lucy now heads up the branding and marketing side of the business while Will leads on product development and works closely with his sales team, developing relationships and introducing new clients to their ever-growing range of exceptional spirits – all still distilled, bottled and sealed by hand back in Cambridge. So, what’s next? “We’ve got big plans,” says Will. “Collaborations with names such as Cambridge University Botanic Garden and Cambridge Satchel Company
Images Will and Lucy have expanded the business from its beginnings in their sitting room to encompass the Cambridge Gin Laboratory on Green Street and the showroom and distillery in Grantchester
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M A R C H 2 0 1 9
C A M B S E D I T I O N . C O . U K
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