Top Gear star Jeremy Clarkson, 64, has unveiled his latest festive project for fellow drinks aficionados.
The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire host is created an advent calendar for the whole month of January, with special treats behind every door. Coming in two forms, the ‘The Not Advent, Advent Calendar: Damp Edition’ is in response to Dry January, with lagers and vodka behind each door.
“January is rubbish, your drinks don’t need to be,” reads the slogan on the box, which contains - alongside two shot glasses - 16 330ml cans of Hawkstone’s 0.3% Spa lager, 15 330ml cans of 3.4% Hawkstone Breeze lager, and a 70cl bottle of Hawkstone vodka for £85. While the damp version contains some low-alcohol options, Jeremy is also offering a dry version at the same price, containing only the 0.3% lager - with the bottle of vodka in a special door to open on February 1.
The Hawkstone damp calendar jokes: “Don’t fancy a dry stint in January? Go for a drizzle instead with the damp edition of our Not Advent Advent Calendar. Delicious British low-alcohol lager, our light Breeze lager, and a bottle of premium vodka to celebrate when it’s all over.”
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(Image: PA))However, fans on Hawkstone's Instagram page raged when they found out that the calendar was only available to a select few. While others called the idea "genius," Clarkson fans from across the globe couldn't help but feel left out. "So bummed we can't buy this in the US," one person complained.
"Sold! But I can't get it in America?" a second echoed. "Why is this not available in South Africa???" a third demanded, with another person complaining: "I would buy two and have them shipped to Alaska if I could."
Although Jeremy has just advertised yet another alcohol-based venture, he recently admitted that his pub ownership isn’t going as easily as he’d hoped. The star is now the landlord of the Farmer's Dog pub in Oxfordshire, but shared that he’s finding it impossible to turn a profit on the inn.
Jeremy opened his pub back in August, and shared to The Times: "Behind the scenes everything is a total disaster.” He described "horror" scenes in the pub toilets as one of his woes, describing: "No amount of festival visits would prepare you for the horror of what had been produced at the Farmer’s Dog. It was everywhere and in such vast quantities that no ordinary plumbing or cleaning equipment would even scratch the surface. So a whole team of chemically trained hazmat engineers had to be employed. That’s a cost I’d never factored into any of my business plans."
He went on to explain that visitors to his gastro pub have been making off with glassware - leaving him with further unexpected costs. He wrote: "That cost must be added to the £100 a day we spend on fuel for the generator, the £400 a week it costs to provide warmth on the terrace and the £27,000 a month we must spend on parking and traffic marshals to keep the council off our back.
"It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm. It’s worse at the pub. The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible." Ending his column on a positive note, Jeremy revealed that TV chef Marco Pierre White had visited the pub, and was impressed by the range of options on the menu.
He added: "And it’s warm and there’s a fire and the staff are friendly and young and happy. It’s a proper, traditional pub. By which I mean you’ll love it, and I’ll lose a fortune and develop a skin disease from the stress of running it."
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English (US) ·