A RAMSBURY drinks maker, best known for its local gin, is turning its hand to making hand sanitiser.

Ramsbury Single Estate distillery has developed its own hand sanitiser.

They have moved three staff from production of their gin and vodka lines, although they assure the public that they have plenty of that left in stock.

But for now, they are turning their focus from booze to making the sanitiser product, and filling mini kegs with it.

The liquid is made from spirit-based product at the distillery and it is being provided in bulk five-litre bottles to hospitals, care homes and to Wiltshire Police.

Dhiraj Pujari, Master Distiller at Ramsbury “It has been unusual shifting from our normal day job of making gin and vodka to making hand sanitiser, however it has been great to give back to the community.

"It’s very rewarding to do our bit and use our skills and help those who need it most and see the whole community pull together in this time of need.”

He says they have made 2,000L on the first run and are now making 500L per day to ensure they can meet further demand.

Mats Olsson, Head of Global Sales: We’re not currently selling the anti-bac, we are prioritising getting it into the hands of the most vulnerable.

We will, however, be looking at ramping up production over the coming weeks and making it available nationwide for consumers to purchase at the lowest cost feasible.

The distillery is also lending what it hopes will be a helping hand to bars and pubs being hit by the coronavirus shutdowns.

They have launched Ramsbury & Friends - which is a way for customers to buy drinks vouchers via their website for their local bar or pub through a virtual tip jar.

The address for the tip jar is here: https://ramsbury.com/friends

The company, which supplies many bars and pubs across Wiltshire, will match every pound spent as a tip for the venue.

The vouchers will be counted up for each bar, which can be selected on the dropdown menu on the website, every week, and the distillery will give the money to the bar to help its cashflow.

Customers can also nominate their bar of choice by contacting friends@ramsbury.com