A YOUNG Glaswegian once given a “stern talking to” for selling homemade gin to his schoolmates has used lockdown to launch an award-winning drinks business.
Bruce Walker, 22, from Broomhill, turned his passion for spirits into a company called Purist Gin after finding himself jobless when the first coronavirus shutdown hit.
But within months, the first batch of his product won a bronze medal at the Scottish Gin awards in a category with 150 entrants.
Walker said his love for spirits began in his teenage years, when he would make “bathtub gin” by infusing botanicals in a jar with a raw alcohol for his classmates to enjoy at parties.
“I was doing that, making it for my friends, and one day at school I got caught with some of the gin and I was given a very stern warning and told ‘do not do this again or you will get into a lot of trouble’. I was maybe around 16,” he said.
Walker said he set up Purist Gin and started to make some headway before the first lockdown hit in March 2020.
He said: “I was very dejected when the lockdown happened.
“I had set up a business, got my licence, and picked up a client – but then everything shut.
“But within six weeks I had bottles going out to people.
He continued: “I use a process called the single-shot method.
“The only thing that goes into the gin when it comes out is water, it makes for a much smoother, cleaner product.
“There’s no additional ethanol and using almond powder gives it a really mellowed-out flavour.”
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