But it’s not reasonable to presume that only countries with low LE are doing homemade gin. UK could do it. Anyone could do it. Why restrict only to countries with lower LE?
No one has a good answer for this. It’s been surprising for decades.
Its not a mystery whatsoever.
No one said that all countries with low LE are drunks.
Russia in particular is know for extreme alcohol consumption and historically oppressive taxes as all authoritarian governments enact. This has created a culture that encourages people to become friendly with local organized crime as a way to avoid compliance. One way to not pay high taxes on more safely produced government alcohol is to buy it from the mob distillery housed in old man Vodoleyev’s shed.
Safer liquor and vaccinations for common childhood diseases would go a long way to bring up LE in Russia and its ex-satellites that also have developed a similar culture of corruption. Working on issues related to why so many turned to liquor in the first place might be even better but that would require a replacement of all individuals in all governments that were part of the Soviet culture and continue it today.