£1,000-a-shot gin on sale at Fence Gate

A Pendle pub has served up a world record 623 varieties of gins '“ with one priced at £1,000 a shot.
Kevin and his gin collectionKevin and his gin collection
Kevin and his gin collection

The Fence Gate stocks rare bottles of the spirit produced by the House of Lords, Lloyds, Old Raj and La Ceraselia Ginepro – with some dating back to 1923.

And owner Kevin Berkins has a one-off Gilbey’s orange gin – costing a grand a drink.

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The 68-year-old began collecting the limited edition gins about 10 years ago – buying them at auctions and specialist sales.

He then began offering them to customers at his bar and brasserie.

Kevin said: “I started collecting whisky initially but then began buying different gins that I call antique, ancient and rare.

“My collection just built up from there.

“Gin became popular and I noticed different varieties were being produced by using different botanicals.

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“Gin has had a revival of late and there is a real demand for it.”

The Fence Gate sells everything from household brands including Gordon’s, Hendrick’s and Bombay Sapphire to the rare such as Gilbey’s orange gin made in 1947.

Grandad Kevin said: “If a customer wanted a shot of either one of those it would cost £1,000 shot! It’s a one-off and cost a lot of money to buy.”

The pub now holds the Guinness World Record for the largest number of gins on sale. The official record states the Fence Gate has 623 varieties but the collection now tops 850.

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Kevin’s collection had to be counted, photographed and videoed in front of an independent adjudicator before Guinness verified the record.

Kevin said: “I have a bottle of Old Tom which is pretty much irreplaceable.”

The Fence Gate also sells hundreds of other gins including coriander, liquorice, and Christmas pudding-flavoured tipples.

Kevin added: “It’s horses for courses. Sometimes I go for a flavour, other times I go for a serious navy strength gin. It all depends on my mood and the company I’m in.”