A PAIR of Timperley gin makers are shaking up the competition only a matter of months after setting up their business.

Katy Moore and Stephen Appleby launched Lucky Bee Gin in October 2020 despite no prior experience in gin making.

Katy is a personal trainer with a gym in Ashton on Mersey, while Stephen works in IT.

However, one of their gins - 'Hench' - is causing a stir on the international stage already.

In May, it won the Navy Strength Category in The Gin Guide Awards in a field of established distilleries from across the world.

Then, at the start of July, it was awarded an 'outstanding' gold medal in the International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC).

Finally, last week it was picked out from other the gold medal winners and awarded the London Dry Trophy, again by the IWSC.

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"We're absolutely flabbergasted," said Katy, who didn't even like gin up until last year.

She decided to give it a chance after clients at the gym started asking for recommendations for a low-calorie drink at the weekend.

Katy and Stephen went to a bar in Timperley and tried Manchester Three Rivers Gin, later booking a visit to the Cheetham Hill distillery where it's made.

It was there that the couple were inspired to make their own.

"I think I said: 'This is it.' and Stephen just shook his head and said: 'She's had too much to drink. She'll forget in the morning,'" said Katy about the visit.

"But I didn't forget! I just said: 'Come on, how hard can it be?'"

However, it was hard, and the couple considered giving it up.

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HMRC were asking for a lot of paperwork from their business and the gin making process itself was far from straightforward.

"The first time we got it wrong, we used the wrong ethanol. We used the ethanol salons use to strip nail varnish," said Katy.

"It's a good job we didn't try it," she added.

But fast forward to the present and Katy and Stephen's award-winning gins are seen in bars and restaurants across the area and sold out on a weekly basis.

They're planning to upgrade their 25-litre still to one able to make 150 bottles at a time - five times their current production.

And once the couple have moved from Timperley to Sale in the near future, they're hoping to open up for tours and tastings.

Their ultimate aim is to have a full distillery.

"It's nice to keep it local, but we know we've got something special and we need to look at taking it to the next level," said Katy.

"My goal is to get in Selfridges and Harrods."

For more information about Lucky Bee Gin, visit Katy and Stephen's website or follow them on social media (@luckybeegin).