Words by Hannah Tapping
The tale of an artisan gin, distilled in the heart of west Cornwall, destined to be sipped the world over.
All good conversations begin over a long table, and this one’s no exception. I’m meeting with Cornish gin producers Wendy and Greville Richards to find out the story behind a spirit that is making waves in the food and drink community. Greville is no stranger to production. Coming from a Cornish farming background, he co-founded his own vegetable farm in his early twenties. Southern England Farms (SEF) is now a multi-million-pound national supplier of brassicas, courgettes and more, to retailers that include the supermarket giants Tesco and Sainsbury’s.
Staying true to Cornish roots, we meet at their home in the parish of Sithney and as we sit down to coffee, I’m curious as to why the move into distilling. Greville begins the tale: “We wanted to create a gin that was distilled right here in our parish; one that would stand out from the crowd. We knew the kind of taste we wanted to achieve and so we brought in the expertise of Matt Servini and Vanessa Rapier of The Craft Distilling Business. As a master distiller, we worked closely with Matt to land on the perfect recipe.” Wendy adds: “I’ve always been an avid cook, but obviously there are different ingredients to consider when making a spirit. We worked really closely with Matt, who’s been pivotal to the brand in creating the perfect recipe and Vanessa was instrumental in guiding us through the legal, licensing and duty process.”
They began by blind-testing five sample recipes created by Matt and based on their desire to create a smooth gin with a warm finish: “After a few tweaks,” explains Wendy, “we landed on the finished recipe for Saint Sithney Gin. It’s unashamedly juniper heavy, as we wanted to maintain that signature ‘piney’ taste, but there’s a citrus note in there as well from orange and lemon, a little bit of lemongrass and some kaffir lime for freshness.” The specific botanicals are, of course, a well-guarded secret but Wendy does share that the lovely warm end-notes come from a touch of cardamom; there’s no harsh burn at the back of throat with Saint Sithney Gin.
Their still, affectionately also named Wendy, is housed in a distillation plant just up the road. “It all starts with the base spirit,” continues Wendy, “which I then combine with our carefully selected botanicals and Cornish water.” Wendy is Saint Sithney’s chief distiller and has learned her craft from the masters. From inception to the first bottling took very little time, such was Wendy and Greville’s passion for the project.
Saint Sithney Gin has had no small amount of investment put into it from the very start: “We knew what we wanted and we have invested considerably in making this the very best product we could,” says Greville. Self-funded, there’s been no inward investment from third parties, testament to the belief that Saint Sithney Gin is a shot above the rest.
Saint Sithney Gin launched its first bottles in December 2023, and it very soon became the talk of the Duchy. Keen to see how it would be received by Cornish restaurants, Greville dispatched a bottle to friend and renowned local chef, Jude Kereama. “He called me after a busy Christmas,” said Greville, “and his words to me on the phone were… “It’s not good.” I was devastated, until he followed it up with… “It’s absolutely exceptional!” It turns out that Jude and a friend had spent a Sunday afternoon sampling it with different slices and tonic variations. Jude’s favourite serve is with a local Navas tonic water, and he came to the conclusion it didn’t need a slice. We would say different, as our personal preference is added citrus and while I like Fever Tree, Wendy prefers a traditional Schweppes tonic – but that’s the beauty of Saint Sithney Gin, it’s so versatile everyone can find their own favourite serve.”
LEFT: © Milly Fletcher CENTRE: © Faydit photography
RIGHT: © Milly Fletcher
As well as being stocked in discerning Cornish bars, restaurants – notably the Great Cornish Food store in Truro, The Pig at Harlyn Bay, the Bedruthan Hotel, Hooked on the Rocks and Trevisker’s Kitchen – Saint Sithney Gin has received acclaim across the Tamar. You’ll find the distinct blue bottle gracing bars across the southern counties, as well as recently being adopted by Tom Kerridge in London whose bar manager, Declan Wilkins declared it as having “great balance and very refreshing flavours – perfect for a Martini.”
Much care has been taken with the branding of Saint Sithney. The English bottles were hand-picked for their deep blue colour and each one is beautifully decorated with a map of the area, peppered with icons of the mining heritage that define the local landscape of the distillery. A sense of place is important to Wendy and Greville; even their single and double bottle despatch packaging is sourced from Flexi-Hex, a sustainable packaging brand whose headquarters are just down the road.
As we chat, it’s clear that Wendy and Greville have big plans for Saint Sithney. Next on the horizon is an orange flavoured gin, aptly named Cornish Sunset; I’m allowed a sneak preview of the bottle and it’s so reminiscent of the deep colours we are treated to at sundown on summer days that I’m instantly transported to sandy shores, looking to the horizon with a Saint Sithney in hand.
The promise is of a warm, soothing gin that will have spicy undertones yet maintain that slight bitter edge of orange that will cut through the sweetness just perfectly. The recipe’s still in its formative stages, but when launched it’s certain to be sipped with aplomb. There’s talk of more flavours, an alcohol-free version and even a Cornish tequila-style spirit in the offing. Further down the line, Marsinney Farm, which has been in the Richards family for centuries and lies at the heart of Sithney parish, has been pinpointed as a growth area. At just 32 acres, it’s too small for the industrial farm machinery that keeps the wheels of SEF turning, but perfect as a dedicated distillery and visitor centre, as well as a place to grow botanicals as Greville explains: “The nine fields can be planted with everything from juniper and blackthorn to elderflower, and maybe even some agave…”
LEFT: © Frankie Thomas RIGHT: © Milly Fletcher
The future looks bright for Saint Sithney Gin; internet sales are growing significantly and two area sales managers are soon to be joined by a dedicated export manager. If you’re travelling in or out of the county you might just catch sight of the brand’s four impressive wrapped Conway Bailey trailers that are taking the Saint Sithney message across the UK’s road networks daily.
I leave the warm welcome of the Richard’s table and the parish of Sithney, quite simply wishing the day away as I’m eager to celebrate their success with a Saint Sithney serve of my own. I’m thinking along the same lines of the venerable Mr Wilkins… it’s must be almost Martini-o’clock!
