Tasting Notes
In addition to hand foraged local seaweed, our spices include black pepper, nutmeg, clove, ginger, orange and cinnamon, resulting in fiery and warm finish.
Be among the first to get a taste of history, with the latest offering from St Davids Distillery.
Over a 110 years since the ‘The GEM’ disaster, the latest release from St Davids Distillery is available for purchase. Drawing on elements of the area’s history and character, they have created a distinctive and assertive new offering in the market.
Surrounded by sea on three sides, the lives and livelihoods of the people of St Davids have historically been, and continue to be, intertwined with the unforgiving seas of the Atlantic. The men and women of St Davids lifeboat station, located at the nearby cove of St Justinians, provide essential safety for seafarers, voyagers and visitors, and have done so for over 150 years.
Our St Davids Seaweed Spiced Edition is a further expression inspired by the story of one of these young men, Sidney Mortimer, who courageously led a rescue off the coast of St Davids in the middle of a violent storm on October 13, 1910, who was just a teenager.
The Story of Sidney Mortimer:
The date is 13th October 1910. The stage, a stormy night amidst the infamous Ramsey Sound. This story however, belongs to the players...
When coal-bearing vessel DEMOCRAT signals for help, fifteen brave souls launch from St. Justinian's aboard ‘The GEM’, a 12-oared, sail-assisted lifeboat. Only twelve would return, alongside the three sailors successfully rescued. ‘The GEM’ was smashed against the notorious reef, aptly named “The Bitches,” and was lost to the sea along with three of her crew. The survivors clung to the rocks for fourteen hours, eventually drying a box of matches and setting ablaze their oilskins to signal shore.
Enter Sidney Mortimer, a young fisherman and Skipper of THE WAVE QUEEN, who more than made up in courage what he lacked in years. Leading a skeleton crew, he took to oar in his humble, 20ft fishing boat, making two trips in adverse weather conditions to bring the shipwrecked survivors ashore. Sidney would later be awarded the RNLI Silver Medal and would go on to become the RNLI's youngest coxswain, at the age of just 18.
He was also entertained by King George V (along with Samuel Guppy & Samuel Husk, his crew mates) to lunch at Buckingham Palace, where they received the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal from King George V himself.
Supporting the local community
St Justinians is also the launching point for many vessels to Ramsey Island, where the sale of St Davids Gin supports the RSPB in its conservation work on the island. In the same vein, sales from ‘The GEM’ Edition will support the work of St Davids lifeboat station.
**SADLY WE ARE NOT ABLE TO DELIVER OUTSIDE THE UK**
