Cash from VE Day and D-Day tipples go to the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans (Image: Taxi Charity for Military Veterans)
Second World War heroes are the toast of Britain and now you can get into the spirit with these celebratory tipples.
Exclusively crafted in an underground wartime bunker in Shropshire, proceeds from the sales of limited dispatch commemorative gin and rum will help the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans carry on supporting the Greatest Generation.
A £2 donation from the sale of every bottle will be made to the vets charity, which exists solely to help those who selflessly served enjoy days out, but is entirely reliant on fundraising and donations.
In 1938, the Ministry of Defence commissioned the site where the distillery now sits to become a secret fuel depot storing aviation fuel servicing RAF bases around the country.
Distinct Distillers has transformed the site and now uses the underground vaults for maturation.
The result is a special VE Day gin and 1944 D-Day dark Rum at £34.95.
Boss Hannah Boon said: “Inspired by our history we are creating spirits that pay tribute to the courage and resilience of all military veterans and help support the fantastic Taxi Charity for Military Veterans. Supporting this charity is our way of giving back to those who risked so much for all of us during the Second World War. Their stories are full of courage and inspiration and we want to helpensure they aren’t forgotten as time moves on.”
VE and D-Day are celebrated in these best of British limited edition bottles (Image: Distinct Distillers)
A nationwide jamboree is planned for the May 5 Bank Holiday Monday as Britain comes together to pay thanks to the Greatest Generation and the freedoms they secured.
Schools will be the centre of celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day on May 8, the official end of the Second World War.
Market Garden hero Geoff Roberts, 99, captured in the airborne assault on Arnhem in occupied Netherlands in 1944 and held as a prisoner of war, said: “I think it’s very important in these current times we remember those that gave their lives for our freedom and peace in Europe. We should never forget them.”
Marie Scott, 98, was just 17 on D-Day and worked in a top secret underground bunker passing coded messages from military commanders to soldiers landing on the beaches of Normandy. When troops were talking on their radios, she could hear every blood-curdling sound from across the water in Normandy.
Speaking of the forthcoming nationwide celebrations, she said: “It’s an opportunity to thank all those wonderful people who made such a spectacular victory possible because, without them, the future could have been very dire indeed.”
Geoff, 99, was captured in the airborne assault on Arnhem in 1944 and held as a POW (Image: Taxi Charity for Military Veterans)
The celebrations will come just one month before the 81st anniversary of D-Day, the fabled invasion of Nazi-occupied Northern France on June 6, 1944, the largest in military history. More than 156,000 lionhearts landed on the beaches and heroically fought in the three-month Battle of Normandy that followed, hastening the end of the Second World World War.
The Taxi Charity is run by volunteer London black taxi drivers and has been supporting thousands of veterans since 1948. It is the only forces charity that focuses on providing fun and entertainment, arranging free trips for vets of all conflicts. It received the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2021 and celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2023.
Vice President Dick Goodwin said: “As a niche charity that is wholly reliant on grants and donations, the support from Distinct Distillers is most welcome. We had the pleasure of visiting their distillery last year and meeting the dedicated team who are committed to producing the best spirits. The D-Day rum they produced was very popular and we are looking forward to tasting the new VE Day gin.”
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