FROM desk-bound quantity surveyor to growing a thriving alcohol spirits business, it has been quite a decade for the founder of Dorset’s first gin distillery.

Rupert Holloway, head conkerer at Conker Spirit, said there had been many mistakes and regrets since he set up the business in 2014 but no business avoids them.

Since launching with a Dorset dry gin, the company expanded to offer a coffee liqueur.

Rupert recently sat down with the Daily Echo for the latest episode of The Echo Dispatch podcast series to discuss his business journey to date and what the future has in store.

Asked what made the perfect gin, the Southbourne-based businessman said: “When I was setting out on making our Dorset dry recipe, it is hard to make a gin recipe balanced. For me a good gin is you taste the gin and no one botanical stands out, so that is what I was trying to go for but these days there is something for everyone really, with every kind of taste.

“Certainly for our products it was that twist on a classic kind of vibe. For the Dorset dry it was don’t try and reinvent the wheel, don’t try and be too clever and reinvent gin, there is nothing wrong with gin, just do it our way.”

New episodes of The Echo Dispatch go live on the first Monday of the month and can be found online at bournemouthecho.co.uk and major podcast platforms.