In 2014 the Conker Spirit folks launched Dorset’s first gin distillery in the unassuming backstreets of Southbourne in Bournemouth. It’s owned by Rupert Holloway, who one day realised that he couldn’t order a local Dorset G&T. With no previous Dorset distilleries to set the path, he set out to create his own. However, he also had no savings of any kind, so the distillery was quite literally built from scratch. With the help of gin expert David T. Smith, for the flagship dry gin they tried out 45 recipes, though it was recipe number 38 they settled on in the end. The brand has come far since then, with a range of gins and liqueurs to show off.