Terry Watts (ex-HP Bulmer Production Director) writes an obiturary to his father's GL Cider (From Hereford Times)

Terry Watts (ex-HP Bulmer Production Director) writes an obiturary to his father's GL Cider

7:00am Wednesday 3rd March 2010

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THE tippleG L Cider, a refreshing drink favoured by many local people, has sadly passed away (Hereford Times, February 11) The brand, originally produced at Wickwar, Gloucestershire, was christened in 1950, but existed before that time when it was known simply as Gloucestershire Cider, Medium Sweet, packaged mainly in returnable flagons and distributed widely throughout the West Country and particularly in Herefordshire.

The Gloucestershire Cider Co Ltd (formerly the Wickwar Cider Co) was a subsidiary of Cheltenham and Hereford Breweries. The general manager was my father Reg Watts who succeeded his father Herbert Watts, the first cider maker appointed at Wickwar in 1924.

One summer day in 1950, Edward Hopcraft (a director of C & H) visited Wickwar to see my father. As was his style, he stamped along the office corrider shouting: “Reg, do you know what they call your cider in the Prince of Wales at Berkeley Road?”

Without waiting for a response he added: “It's too much of a mouthful to call for a pint of Gloucestershire cider, so they abbreviate it to a pint of G L.” Resulting from this, my father arranged a change of label.

At that time G L provided a threat to Bulmers’ flagship brand of the time, Woodpecker, and when C & H became part of Whitbread the opportunity arose for Bulmers to acquire the assets of the Gloucestershire Cider Company in 1958. Eventually, G L was re-branded Gold Label.

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