Gin distillery creates hand sanitiser for Benevolent Ball

London-based 58 Gin Distillery has created a gin-based hand sanitiser for The Benevolent after the drinks charity struggled to find an adequate amount for its annual ball tonight (12 March).

London’s 58 Gin Distillery created a hand sanitiser for The Benevolent Ball 2020

The Benevolent Ball will take place at the Natural History Museum in London this evening. A total of 450 guests are expected to attend.

However, due to the coronavirus outbreak hand sanitiser has been in short supply.

To ensure The Benevolent Ball would have enough hand sanitiser for guests, 58 Gin Distillery created its own version, called 58 Gin Hand Gin-itizer, using aloe vera, blended with high-strength distillate.

Carmen O’Neal, managing director of 58 Gin Distillery, said: “The Benevolent is an incredibly worthwhile charity for our industry and when we heard the event was struggling to source the hand sanitiser, we thought we had just what they needed.

“We distil 1,000 litres of alcohol a week, so we could afford to spare some to create a Hand Gin-itizer.”

Ross Carter, Benevolent CEO, expressed his thanks to the 58 Gin Distillery team for their efforts.

“When I called Carmen, she wasted no time in creating a drinks industry solution and we’re thankful that 58 Gin Distillery were able to create such a high-quality product at such short notice.”

Earlier this week, a Bristol distillery also made its own hand sanitiser with gin botanicals, which it is selling for a charitable donation.

Several leading trade shows have been cancelled or postponed due to the Covid-19 outbreak, which has been classified as a pandemic by the World Health Organization. Trade shows delayed or cancelled include ProWein, TFWA Asia Pacific, Vinexpo Hong Kong and IAADFS Summit of the Americas.