HE has been a stage hypnotist, speedway rider, folk singer and advisor to the England football team.

Now Watt Nicoll is to taste yet another career as he launches his own line of drinks.

Nicoll, who grew up in Dundee, was a prominent figure in Scotland’s folk scene in the 1960s and 70s, recording 14 albums and working with Billy Connolly.

After training as a zoologist he went on to write scripts for comedian Norman Wisdom and appeared on children’s television, going on to work in Las Vegas as a motivational speaker.

Now living in Newmilns, in East Ayrshire, the 81-year-old is preparing to launch a line of beverages based on recipes handed down by a war hero uncle.

This includes four ready-mix “toddy syrups” flavoured with honey, fruit and “a pinch of gunpowder” to add to “a favoured spirit”.

He said: “It’s taken a wee while to get the recipes into a modern state of presentation and to secure some of the herbs and supplies but, at each stage, the feedback has been nothing short of phenomenal.”

The Toddy Man range will go on sale at the Fine Food Show in Glasgow SECC on January 22.

Nicoll says the range was borne out of a serious illness from which he believes he recovered thanks to the toddies he has always imbibed.

However, toddies are not just for illness, he says, insisting: “It’s a remedy, a pick-me-up, an aid to sleep, a restorative cup of comfort or just a big giant hug from your mammy.”