Gin sold to help raise money for a foundation set up in the name of Captain Sir Tom Moore has been pulled from sale, in what is being reported as a breach of charity law.
As reported by The Independent, bottles of Captain Sir Tom branded gin were being sold for £100 on Otterbeck Distillery’s website since April last year.
It stated on the website that "All Profits" would be donated to the foundation, but this did raise some issues.
Charity law states that in such circumstances the exact amount going to a charity from a commercial partnership must be stated, but the bottles were being sold without stating this exactly.
The Independent reported that after they raised questions about this to the charity the gin was "quietly removed" from sale.
We are honoured to have partnered with our friend @captaintommoore in supporting his foundation, producing this wonderful London Dry Gin. Available to purchase from our website https://t.co/auMRZK7hiJ pic.twitter.com/vTi5vnxM82
— Otterbeck Distillery (@OtterbeckD) November 25, 2020
Captain Sir Tom Moore made headlines in 2020 during the pandemic when he helped raise nearly £39 million for the NHS in the approach to his 100th birthday.
The Keighley-born veteran became a household name, making several media appearances and then being knighted in July 2020.
He died on February 2, 2021 after being treated for pneumonia and then testing positive for Covid-19.
A foundation was set up in his name and continues to accept donations for good causes.
Both the distillery and the charity failed to clarify whether or not the Ingram-Moore family, relatives of the late Captain Sir Tom, have, or are set to, receive any payment from the sale of the £100 bottles or another cheaper gin sold in the late veteran’s name.
The foundation is already under investigation as part of an ongoing Charity Commission regulatory compliance case started in March last year.
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