I bet you didn’t expect to be looking up recipes for alcohol gel when you started! I loved how you answered the SOS from the local community and the humble way you went about it was lovely to see. What was the reaction like from the community? If you are looking to experiment within gin, Whitley Neill has now become trusted as a brand to go to, to experiment with flavours. Our others include blood orange, parma violet, raspberry and quince. We have the challenge of explaining why our product sits at a different level so we don't compete with those products - they're not in the same market.

In 2008, rules were eased following lobbying from London brand Sipsmith, with the firm given England’s first official gin distiller’s licence in almost 200 years.

Stephen Wundke from Taste Cheshire reviewed Tappers Gin on the 6th August 2018

You’re based in The Wirral. Was the sense of provenance important to you when creating Tappers Gin?

It’s a brand seeing ever increasing popularity and success, run by West Kirby resident Steve Tapril with the help of mum, Sue from Champions Business Park in Birkenhead. There were four bar staff on shift during this event and the choice of drinks available included G&Ts and wines as well as Oktoberfest beers - which were available in pints as well as steins. All of the drinks that were available were listed in the menu that you were handed on arrival, so your suggestion that only steins of beer were available is incorrect. At no point did anyone, yourself included, complain to us about wait times. Ultimately, neither method is superior to the other – they’re both just as challenging and require the necessary skills to do well. I think having worked with both methods, I have a unique perspective on this and much respect for fellow gin producers, whichever method they’re using! He said over the past five years, the Whitley Neill brand has gained "real traction", with support not only from bars and pubs' gin connoisseurs, but also support from trade grocers and retailers. It was heart-breaking and very humbling. People said to me “surely people can just wash their hands, they don’t need sanitiser”. But if they could only have seen some of the people we delivered to – the elderly and unwell: it isn’t just a case of getting up and going to the sink. Many of them struggled with mobility, were housebound, with no help from family or friends.It's testament to the growth of not just Whitley Neill the brand, but the driving force behind the rhubarb and ginger flavour.”

Stewart Hainsworth, group chief executive of Halewood Wines and Spirits, with the Whitley Neill Rhubarb and Ginger Gin product

To be able to support something that's local is quite impactful and important for people, and Scousers have really got behind that. Staff reluctant to serve any drinks from the bar other than 'steins', they said they were too busy serving steins to prepare any other drinks, They were not too busy, it is a very small venue. The Marina Dalglish Appeal has one simple aim: to make a difference to people with cancer on Merseyside and beyond. Since it was founded by Sir Kenny and his wife Marina, Lady Dalglish in 2005, the charity has helped thousands of families on their cancer journey by contributing to pioneering medical projects, and by providing psychological support to breast cancer patients. You’ve just launched a new collab with Kenny Dalglish to celebrate his 70th birthday. How did it feel to work with a local legend, someone renowned throughout the world? You’ve hit the nail on the head with that question. When I created Tappers, it wasn’t about just creating a brand. I poured my heart into every aspect of it – from the Victorian apothecary look and feel that fit the method of production and my love affair with history, to the name and its connection to where I live, right through to the coastal botanicals that made the ingredients line-up that celebrate my hometown and the area I grew up in, and still live in today.

Only 700 bottles were produced in total, to a recipe that was inspired by Sir Kenny’s fond memories of Scotland. Distilled with Tappers’ signature botanicals, alongside fresh berries and orange peel, Dalglish 7 Gin is vibrant and fruity with hints of strawberry and citrus, and a silky-smooth finish. People are always looking for that bespoke item that they can take away and show off to others, and gins like ours and many others do just that. The fact we’ve been able to open Castle Street is testament to the fact that Liverpool Gin is at the heart of the city.” ‘Still has legs’ Around 1820, there was something of a mini ‘ginaissance’, with British soldiers using it to mask the bitter taste of quinine, a malaria deterrent, marking the birth of gin and tonic. Don't just take our word for how great it is! With two stars from the Great Taste Awards 2022, and a silver medal from the world's experts at Spirits Selection 2022 by Concours Mondial - the United Nations of fine spirits - along with a score of 87/100 from experts at the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC), Brightside is recognised as one of the highest quality gins in the world.Stewart said: “We have teams on the ground in Russia, the USA, China and Australia. In three of these markets we also have production facilities and local brands, such as the Ironbark Gin in Australia. So long as premium gins stay on the market, these will continue, although some of the less strong spirits and brands may struggle especially if they are trying to get into the gin market now.” A city icon But following a decade of mind-blowing success and an explosion in makers up and down the country, it's more loved now than it's been for centuries - and is absolutely everywhere. It’s a combination of the social aspect of drinking in places like gin bars, the amount of brands on offer at supermarkets, and that it’s not even just about different coloured gins anymore - it’s the number of flavours and so on. It’s a bit like alcopops were a few years ago, but in a slightly different manner.