Page 18 - BBR magazine 140 - 30yrs issue

Despite a rush of g.b’s from the late Kevin Boyle Collection & Ian McKenzies Scottish presentation we’ve been a tad lax on g.b. mag news. Apologies for not chasing ‘guru’ Dave Hampton, he’s forever busy searching newbies for his ever expanding gathering!
Michael Shaw continues to plough tirelessly with his research for the long awaited Scittish ginger beers book. He’s been spotted photographing yet more variations and new finds at Elsecar shows (he’ll be at the National) & up at the Perth Show. We asked Mike for a sneak preview of some of his trawlings... and he came up with a glistening array from Fraserburgh.
Fraserburgh, a coastal town at the far north-eastern corner of Aberdeenshire, about 40 miles north of Aberdeen, has been a busy commercial harbour, long been established as a major white fish port. Many of its fishing boats in the early part of last century would have been teetotal, therefore it's very likely one of the most popular drinks on board for a rare break from the harsh elements would have been sugar-sweet ginger beer.
It's some thought for today's collectors, of course, that while the North Sea was giving up its great harvest of haddock and other fine fish, it was also receiving some of Scotland's finest stoneware ginger beer empties when thrown in the opposite direction!
Fraserburgh is renowned for its remarkable set of beautiful gingers, notably the all-white examples with blue lips which remain highly prized by collectors
everywhere for their style and quality, not to mention
the fact (along with several two-tone bottles) they are
rarely seen at shows, and only occasionally at
auction.
Mikes’ labour of love identifies a truly glistening
Fraserburgh treasure trove, and told BBR he knows
he still has some work to do.
Mike told us, “Iain Gosling, Brian Kemp, George
Beveridge, Gordon Simpson and Ali Fraser have
been keeping me right, but it remains literally a
final frontier, along with Glasgow, in this current
phase of the project.”
His research uncovered merchants in
Fraserburgh were hard-nosed traders. One old
press report stating William Skinner Grant, of
Mortimer's Old Brewery, was seeking money
from the estate of a former hotelier in the town -
doubtless for unpaid debts! As his named bottle
show, Grant certainly made ginger beer, and the
Mortimer Brewery crops up in several records.
Readers can also help with Mike1s research by checking their own Scottish stoneware bottles - letting him know if they think they may have something which may interest for the book: info@scottishgingerbeerbottles.co.uk
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GB news
Fraserburgh gingers...