Comedy is inspiration behind Morecambe’s new gin company

Bring me sunshine…and a large gin!
Colin Scott, his daughter Catherine and her soon-to-be husband, Peter Leonard, with the still, imported from Germany.Colin Scott, his daughter Catherine and her soon-to-be husband, Peter Leonard, with the still, imported from Germany.
Colin Scott, his daughter Catherine and her soon-to-be husband, Peter Leonard, with the still, imported from Germany.

A newly launched distillery is tapping into the legendary comic legacy of Eric Morecambe to help spearhead a business venture reflecting classic British comedies.

The Three Wheel Gin Company, which produced its first bottle last month, has concentrated on three firm favourites to give the venture a flying start.

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Fawlty Towers and Only Fools and Horses complete the trio and already the concept is proving an early winner, with 240 bottles sold in nearly 40 pubs in this area and the Lakes.

The first three bottles from The Three Wheel Gin Company.The first three bottles from The Three Wheel Gin Company.
The first three bottles from The Three Wheel Gin Company.

And the list is growing…last week a batch of the Trotters’ gin was despatched to an Only Fools bar in Liverpool.

The business is the brainchild of the three directors – Colin Scott, his daughter Catherine and her soon-to-be husband, Peter Leonard.

All three like a gin and spent the best part of a year preparing for launch day, including importing a 25-litre still from Germany.

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The entire operation, from mixing the flavours to bottle labelling, is carried out by hand in just one room – a basement below The Blue Mountain Restaurant, Bare, of which Colin is the co-owner with Amanda Burkitt.

The famous Trotters’ three-wheeler.The famous Trotters’ three-wheeler.
The famous Trotters’ three-wheeler.

All the gins are created in small batches, 15 to 20 bottles at a time, and the flavours, carefully thought out and blended, endeavour to reflect the three subjects.

The Eric’s Morecambe Gin is a citrus variety with oranges and pink grapefruit in homage to the famous orange and red sunsets across the Bay.

The Basil’s Fawlty version, naturally, has among its ingredients the essential basil!

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The Trotters London Gin salutes the famous three-wheel van so loved by Del Boy and Rodney and which has given the new company its name.

And Colin is going one stage further in restoring his own yellow three-wheeled Robin to promote the business.

Colin said: “We are really pleased with the launch and plan to expand to other areas.

“At the moment we are selling it as quickly as we can make it.

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“We will stick with comedy themes…there are so many programmes to chose from. The next one might be Porridge!

“Once we have picked a show we will try and develop an appropriate theme. We also intend to develop special edition gins.”

It seems The Three Wheel Gin Company is mixing all the right ingredients and in the right order.

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