ST DAVIDS' brave residents will be celebrated and money raised for the RNLI with the launch of St Davids Gin's new golden rum.

The latest tipple from the local company commemorates the 110th anniversary of The Gem disaster and recognises the local heroes who save lives in perilous conditions at sea, both in 1910 and up to the present day.

The Gem edition is a golden rum inspired by the story of Sidney Mortimer, who courageously led a rescue off the coast of St Davids in the middle of a violent storm on October 13, 1910, aged just 17.

The story began with the Democrat, a coal-bearing vessel which got into difficulty off the St Davids coast.

The Gem, St Davids' 12-oared, sail-assisted lifeboat launched from St Justinians with a crew of 15. The crew managed to rescue the crew of three fro, the Democrat before the Gem was smashed against the Bitches, losing three of her crew.

The lifeboat was wrecked, and the survivors clung to the rocks for fourteen hours. They managed to signal for help by drying a box of matches and setting their oilskins ablaze.

The blaze was seen by 17-year-old Sidney Mortimer, a local fisherman and Skipper of the Wave Queen.

Leading a skeleton crew, he took to the dangerous seas in his humble, 20ft fishing boat, making two trips in adverse weather conditions to bring the shipwrecked survivors ashore.

Sidney would later be awarded the RNLI Silver Medal and would go on to become its youngest coxswain, at the age of just 18.

He was also recognised by King George V, along with Samuel Guppy and Samuel Husk, his crew mates, for his bravery. The three men were invited to lunch at Buckingham Palace, where they received the Conspicuous Gallantry Medal from King George V himself.

Sales from The GEM edition golden rum will support the work of St Davids lifeboat, with at least £5 from every bottle donated to the station.

"We're really honoured to bring the story of those brave men from St Davids to a new audience with our new product 'The Gem'," said St Davids Gin founder Neil Walsh.

"The danger that men like Sidney faced over a century ago is repeated every single day, when seemingly ordinary volunteers from our city risk their safety to protect their community."

The Gem edition is aged in heavily charred virgin oak barrels, delivering sweet notes of toffee and vanilla along with fresh cut oak and wood aromas.

The rum will be available for purchase from October 13 from www.stdavidsgin.wales or www.stdavids.wales and is priced at £39.95. A donation of £5 per bottle will be donated to St Davids Lifeboat Station.

There will also be a special commemorative package for the first 110 bottles of the batch which will include one of the first 110 bottles of the rum, a piece of the Wave Queen artwork and an engraved The Gem tot glass. This exclusive offer is priced at £110 with £20 per sale donated to St Davids lifeboat station.