The Rock Band The Feeling And Wicstun Distillery Collaborate - 24 August 2024
The Feeling and Wicstun Distillery have teamed to launch a new Toffee Vodka, which is a nod to the band's first album, “12 Stops & Home” and their beginnings in Meribel in the French Alps where Toffee vodka was their drink of choice.
The new Toffee Vodka “12 Shots & Home” was launched on Friday, 23rd August in Cottingham near Hull when the band headlined at the 2024 Cottingham Folk Festival.
The Feeling was formed in 2005, but its origins trace back to the late 1990s. The band members—Dan Gillespie Sells (vocals and guitar), Richard Jones (bass guitar), Kevin Jeremiah (guitar), Ciaran Jeremiah (keyboards), and Paul Stewart (drums)—met while studying at the BRIT School for Performing Arts & Technology in Croydon.
They initially started playing together in cover bands, performing in ski resorts in the Alps, where they honed their craft and developed their distinctive sound.
The band's name, The Feeling, was inspired by a bar in Paris called "Le Feeling," where they had played during their time as a covers band. This name encapsulates the emotive and sentimental qualities that would become central to their music.
Jago Packer, Director of Wicstun Distillery, said “We are extremely proud to be working with the Feeling on this project. The collaboration is a result of an introduction by our daughter, Emily, who works with The Feeling and Sophie Ellis Bextor’s band. This is a wonderful opportunity for a small East Yorkshire Business to showcase our products outside of Yorkshire and hopefully, it will lead to other collaborations.”
Wicstun Distillery was founded in 2022 by Husband and wife team Jago & Lisa Packer in Market Weighton after many years of making homebrew as a hobby.
Dan Gillespie Sells (Lead Singer and guitarist for The Feeling) said, “We are looking forward to working with Wicstun Distillery on this project. Just a whiff of toffee vodka and I’m transported back to the bands spiritual home in the mountains. This delicious stuff has been the fuel for many a wild gig!”
Richard Jones (Base Guitar for The Feeling) said, “It's exciting to have our own vodka, which brings back so many wonderful memories of France and the early days of the band”.
The launch event was a big success, and there was a tremendous amount of interest in The Feeling's new vodka from the visitors to the Folk Festival.
The Feelings set finished with the band opening their first bottle live on stage and taking a taste, followed by thanks to Wicstun Distillery and an explanation of how toffee vodka played its part in the band's time in the Alps. They then wrapped up the gig with their version for “Fight For Your Right to Party” by the Beatie Boys, which got the audience rocking.
