Wizzard fans who enjoy a tipple over the festive period can get into the spirit of things with a limited edition gin created by glam rocker Roy Wood.
The singer has worked with Nelson’s Distillery and School, based in Uttoxeter, to create a festive gin, aptly named “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday”. It marks the 50 th anniversary of the song which – as sure as Boxing Day follows December 25 – is destined to get back into the charts in the next few weeks.
The distillery said the tipple had proved such a success over the past couple of weeks that it is producing its third and final batch for fans to buy.
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Roy created the gin, which is described as tasting “like Christmas cake” in a bottle, with the help of Nelson’s founder Neil Harrison using ingredients including cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, mulled spices, orange, pink peppercorns and juniper.
It is not the first gin Roy has created with Nelson’s, coming after a Christmas Cheer brew and another called Blackberry Way, based on the hit song from his days with The Move.
His new spirit marks the milestone anniversary for his best-known song, which first hit the charts in 1973 and has been a cornerstone of the Christmas countdown ever since.
Roy said: “Neil got in touch a couple of years ago to see if I would be interested in creating my own gin. Nelson’s is a great gin school and so I came along to help design something very special.
“Because the first one we did was so nice, we thought we’d have a go at another Christmas one. The special anniversary gin is fruity and I want you to close your eyes to enjoy it as it tastes like Christmas cake.
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“It is what you want at Christmas. It’s a reasonable alcohol percentage as well.
“It’s strange to think it’s the 50th anniversary of I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday. It was a shock when people were coming to me at the beginning of the year to say this, it’s amazing.
“Time has just flown by. Because it’s a Christmas song, it doesn’t date which is why I think it is so well-loved still. It’s great as an artist when young people are singing along to my song after all this time.”
Distillery founder Neil Harrison said: “It has only been a month since we first unveiled the Christmas supergin and stocks are really dwindling as demand soars. We can’t believe how popular it has been.
“Roy is a hugely popular musician with a massive fan base who always show their support in whatever he does.
“When we found out that this is the 50th anniversary of his song we had to get together to mark it.
“We always enjoy working with Roy and this is such a massive achievement. It is a song that brings people together and so does gin.
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“We were only planning on the two batches but it has proved so popular that we had to make another one as we didn’t want people missing out. It is the perfect drink for a party or to share with the family on Christmas Day.”
The limited edition ‘I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday’ gin has an alcohol ABV of 45% in a 50cl bottle. It costs £38 and is available by visiting Nelson’s Distillery at Nelson's Distillery & School or from their website.