Distiller offers taste of Warwickshire with mobile bar
An award-winning Leamington distiller has come up with his own solution to what he describes as a ‘lack of support’ for home-grown brands from local establishments.
David Blick, of Warwickshire Gin Company, has unveiled Lockhart’s, a new mobile pub dedicated to selling only independent Warwickshire brands.
Even the name stays true to its roots, in a nod to Samuel Lockhart, the famous elephant trainer, who lived in Leamington Spa from the late 1800's until his death in 1933.
Samuel imported and trained several elephants and became the foremost elephant trainer in the world. His most famous troupe were three female elephants Wilhelmina, Trilby and Haddie known collectively as the Three Graces.
His elephants entertained Queen Victoria and were kept, at times, in Leamington Spa in the 1880s and 1890s when he was home from his various international shows. There are several references to Lockhart's elephants across Leamington.
As well as WGC’s range of gins and rums, Lockhart’s sells Leamington-brewed ales, Windmill Hill and BRUBL plus Napton Cider, produced in Napton-on-the-Hill and Blabers Wine, based in Fillongley.
David said: “People generally do want to buy local but they’re not really given the opportunity to because the big breweries, the big spirit producers, monopolise all the bars now. Most of their products in bars in town you will also be able to get in the supermarket.
“Around 750 pubs have already closed this year already in the UK. I wonder why? Is it because you can go to Sainsbury’s and get the same beer for about £1 as opposed to paying £6-£7 for it at the pub? It’s interesting that locally The Boiler Room - our biggest customer locally - is very successful and stocks zero big breweries beers!”
“We do sell a lot of Business to Consumer but Business to Business, bars and restaurants is virtually non-existent. Bars and restaurants just tend to buy in from whomever they have the cheapest contract with, which is sad, but that’s the reality of what happens in our area.”
The huge 8x4m bar is designed to recreate the complete pub experience wherever it goes, including barrel tables and seating – a project that was supported by a council-backed duplex loan through Coventry and Warwickshire Reinvestment Trust (CWRT).
Sheridan Sulskis, CEO of CWRT, said: “It’s been an absolute pleasure supporting the Warwickshire Gin Company on the development of Lockhart's Bar. This project highlights the importance of community-focused ventures and the vital role CDFIs like CWRT play in bringing them to life.
“Funding local businesses not only strengthens region’s economy but also celebrates its rich heritage. We’re excited to see where Lockhart’s will go from here and look forward to its continued success in the community."
It marks the latest chapter of growth for the ambitious entrepreneur who established Warwickshire Gin Company in 2018.
The inspiration behind David’s drinks collection comes from a desire to capture a moment in history, developing flavours to fully represent the county’s own unique story and bringing the range of hand-crafted flavours to life.
These include Leamington on Parade, inspired by Sam Lockhart; The Kingmaker – named after Richard Neville 16th Earl of Warwick and Peeping Tom – inspired by the legend of Coventry’s Lady Godiva.
A local legend is also the inspiration behind his three Pugilist rums. Randolph Turpin went down in British boxing history for his sensational World Title win against the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson and earning himself the nickname ‘The Leamington Licker.’
The distillery also offers popular visitor experiences - Gin Tasting, Cocktails at The Distillery and their new Afternoon Gin & Tea plus a range of build-your-own branded gift bundles, including spirits, goblet, mixers and gin or rum-infused chocolates.
Meanwhile, visitors to Leamington Food Festival in the Pump Room Gardens this weekend, can be among the first to visit Lockhart’s Bar.
David added: “We’ve always done events but we just wanted something more prominent and more sustainable and this is where Lockhart’s comes in. By also selling drinks from our neighbours, this supports the local circular economy, we are helping promote their businesses as well as ours. The more we sell the more jobs we can create within our community.
“While doing events for the last five years, we’ve observed that the businesses where the queues are the longest are where it’s an experience rather than just a hatch with food and drinks being served. There’s lot of interesting catering trailers but very few interesting bars. In the drinks world it is pretty boring. And they’re all selling the same beers and spirits which are not local and available in supermarkets. I wanted something that would stand out. People naturally buy with their eyes and I wanted to explore something new.”
Further information on how to hire Lockhart’s is available from David Blick at: dave@warwickshiregincompany.co.uk
