Alchometer, Tralles type, and case, used to produce hand sanitiser during the COVID-19 pandemic by WL Distillery, Bessemer Rd, South Hetton, Durham, England, 2020. Made in France.

WL Distillery was one of the first independent distilleries to switch production from gin to hand sanitiser in March 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when there was a shortage of sanitiser in the UK and globally. An alchometer measures the proportion of alcohol in water mixtures. According to the World Health Organisation, at least 60% alcohol mixtures are required to be effective.

WL Distillery's founder and managing director Scott Wilson-Laing personally delivered bottles of sanitiser, free of charge, to frontline paramedics, NHS staff, police, local charities, and individuals in high-risk categories unable to obtain sanitiser from shops and other suppliers.