In Sydney spirits news, husband and wife team Shannon and Jennifer Hunt are creating a buzz with their craft distillery, Lily Fields Distilling Co.
As much as we love a great classic gin - and Lily Fields Distilling Co.'s Juniper Dry Gin has pitched itself as our new classic favourite - we also love a local Sydney success story. And this new gin is both...
Born out of a love for quality spirits and as passionate foodies the team launched the Sydney distillery in late 2022 and have astoundingly gone on to be awarded with 16 medals in their first year of operations- for their two core range gins, Sydney Dry Gin and Juniper Dry Gin.
In a unique twist to this Sydney distillery the duo have both made huge career changes. Jen had a successful career as a drug development chemist whilst Shannon ran his own horticultural and construction company.
The initial idea for the distillery was a dream of Jen’s.
“I’d been a scientist in the pharmaceutical world for about twenty years, I had managed laboratories, ran clinical trials, invented new drugs and improved existing ones. During Covid lockdown we all had alot of time at home and I think that gave me time to consider how I wanted to spend the rest of my life and what I wanted to achieve and I quickly realised that I wanted to do something new, something huge, and something that was for me and my family. I started researching extensively and the idea reached a point where we just had to take the risk and go for it – I quit my job and here we are! The success of the business in its first year has showed us that we made the right decision, and I couldn’t be prouder”.
The Lily Fields distillery's dynamic duo attribute their combined skill sets for their fast success.
“As a scientist I’ve been able to roll over so much of my knowledge to the distillery which we believe has helped us immensely in so many aspects – and I’m really having so much fun doing it!” exclaims Jen.
Shannon adds to this mix with his botanical knowledge as well as business experience and creative mind.
“Shan’s knowledge of plants has given us so many ideas for new products, he is also able to design and build pretty much anything you can think of and this comes in very handy when you are a start-up distillery on a limited budget”.
The target for the products was always perfection and they were both willing to put in whatever it took to achieve that.
“We didn’t want to just make another gin. We wanted to make the best gin’s that we had ever tasted, and so we just kept working until we achieved that goal" Jen continues. We did thousands of trials and it took years but we definitely got there!”
The two Lily Fields gins have completely different profiles and we truly adore and enjoy them both.
Sydney Dry Gin is a bright, crisp and refreshing citrus style Gin, while Juniper Dry Gin is all about the juniper – juniper forward complemented by subtle citrus notes and is a true testament to the Classic London Dry style gin, a fact endorsed with its Best in Class, Best London Dry Gin Trophy in the 2023 Australian Gin Awards.
“Receiving trophy for our Juniper Dry Gin was definitely a highlight of our first year and one that we will never forget. I couldn’t think clearly for a week after receiving the news” said Jen.
In a second unique twist the Lily Fields Distilling Co. has also teamed up with the local Leichhardt Bowling Club in Sydney’s Inner West by creating an outdoor Gin Bar in the club's converted bowling green. The outdoor garden bar sells Gin based cocktails and is a favourite with locals and visitors to the area.
“The team at the bowlo have backed us and the idea from the very initial timepoint. The garden bar provides the club with a unique offering, and everyone loves it. We are open every Saturday and Sunday from 1pm and you can also pick up a bottle of Gin to take home”.
You can purchase the Lily Fields Distilling Co. range directly from their website lilyfieldsgin.com.au/ and they also have a mobile version of the garden bar which is available for events and festivals. The team can be contacted at
hello@lilyfieldsgin.com.au
We can't wait to see what the team at Lily Fields do next...
