Conker Spirit distillery to host tours for the public

The Conker Spirit distillery is opening its doors to members of the public to explore, try and taste its offerings of Dorset gins and coffee liqueurs.

Visitors will begin the tour with a gin and juice, before learning about the distillery, and then tasting the impressive Conker Spirit range.

Operations director, Fred Gamper, said: “The purpose of the tour is to welcome people in.

“We’re a brand about Dorset. We’re local and we’re really authentic, but there’s people local to the area that haven’t had a chance to come in or didn’t even know we were here.

“It just gives people a chance to come in and see what’s going on.”

Conker Spirit was established in 2014 as Dorset’s first gin distillery. It followed a decision by founder, Rupert Holloway, to quit his job as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor and give gin making a go.

The company has since become a well-known and successful producer of Dorset gins and coffee liqueurs, in what Rupert has described as a “very silly, but wonderful, journey”.

Rupert remains a key part of the distillery and is regularly involved in the tours around the premises, alongside head distiller Dave Hall.

Visitors to the tour can pick the pairs’ brains and learn about the history of the well-loved distillery.

Fred said: “The idea is that people come in, they get an explanation on where we’ve come from and where we’re going.

“Dave, the head distiller, will be there to go into the details about what he does.

"Then, they get to go through our whole range."

The tour will finish with a visit to the distillery door tap room, an area serving luxury cocktails, that is also open to the public from 4pm to 8.30pm.

Fred said: “People really love the tours. They’ve been really popular.

"People walk in and say ‘wow that’s amazing’, and its nice for us to get that feedback."

The Conker Spirit distillery is located in Bournemouth. For more information about the tours visit https://www.conkerspirit.co.uk/