Tributes paid to a dreamer whose dream came true
A DETERMINED dreamer who loved rum and would help anyone who needed him.
That’s how the family of Ian Linsley, a Northumberland drinks entrepreneur who died on Saturday aged 58, intend to remember him.
Ian, who in 2003 resurrected the Alnwick Rum Company - where his father, John, once worked - later founded the Old Man Rum Company.
The company quickly gained a reputation for producing unique, premium pure pot still rums worth thousands of pounds a bottle.
It was Ian’s passion for rum which he will be remembered for, which was passed down to him by John, a former sailor who discovered a love for the drink at sea.
Launching the company’s firstever rum, Expressions One, in 2016, was for Ian the culmination of years of work and a dream instilled in him by his dad.
But Ian’s life was tragically cut short when he died soon after being diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
He had been preparing for the launch of the second batch of Expressions, which had been inspired by his dad’s rum recipes he left behind. Ian’s daughter, Rebecca Linsley, 28, said: “It still doesn’t feel real. I just feel like he’s going to walk back in here now. “Everywhere I go now people I’ve never even met are coming up to me and hugging me, because they can’t hug him. “He was a true gentleman, the most passionate man I ever knew. He had an optimistic outlook on life, despite all the hardships and he always found a positive in a negative. “He was just the best dad, so supportive. I moved down to London when I was quite young and I don’t think I would have had the confidence without him.” While a love of rum was central to Ian’s life, outside of work he was a generous friend. His son Mark said: “He would help loads of people, but he’d never ask for help himself. He was never afraid of a challenge, never daunted, even when he was diagnosed with cancer.” A hard-working, driven man, Ian also enjoyed holidays to Scotland with his partner Anne and her children, who he “took in as if they were his own”. His business partner, John
Everywhere I go now people I’ve never met are hugging me, because they can’t hug him Rebecca Linsley
Dixon, said: “Ian was a totally inspirational character and he put everything he had into making the rum a success.
“In the little time I’ve known him, he was so warm, generous, caring and unfailingly optimistic.
“He loved good food and drink and friends - we’d ask everyone who knew him to raise a glass and it’s got to be rum.
“The success of the Expressions is going to be his legacy.
“Mark and Rebecca will be shareholders in the business now, and we will make a success of it in Ian’s name. We’re going to make him proud.”
Mark added: “He never lived in the past. He would rather talk about the future, he would say ‘pick yourself up and get on.’ We’ll be making sure that the rum goes absolutely crazy. We want everyone to know what he did, to know his name.”
When Expressions Two is in the bottle, family and friends have said they will raise a glass to Ian.