Conker

Conker Spirit is a Dorset-based independent distillery founded in 2014 by Rupert Holloway in Bournemouth, producing both gin and a 0.0% botanical spirit under its alcohol-free range. Holloway left a career in chartered surveying to establish what became Dorset's first gin distillery, operating from a Victorian back-street laundry in the Southbourne area of Bournemouth. The distillery built its reputation on a distinctly regional identity, positioning itself as rooted in the landscape and character of the Dorset coast.

Conker Spirit entered the alcohol-free category in March 2021 with the launch of Bowser Leaf, a 0.0% botanical spirit distilled in copper pot stills. The production approach involves distilling each of five botanicals individually before blending, using mint, tarragon, patchouli, thyme, and spring water. Conker Spirit set out to build something distinct rather than replicate gin: Bowser Leaf is positioned as an alcohol-free botanical spirit in its own right, not a gin substitute. That decision gives the product a herbal, aromatic character shaped by its own logic rather than by comparison to an alcoholic reference point.

The brand's AF range is currently a single product, making it a focused rather than broad offering. Bowser Leaf sits in the premium bracket and is available through specialist alcohol-free retailers online. Sober-curious drinkers looking for something with genuine distillery provenance and a clear point of difference from the growing field of gin-adjacent AF spirits will find Conker Spirit's approach considered and regionally grounded.

The Collection

Bowser Leaf