Rachel Hall Made History and Distilling Made Her Love Gin

Admittedly, Rachel Hall wasn’t a gin fan before she began distilling the spirit. Then she stumbled upon a gin still in a shed and it changed everything.

As New Zealand’s first female head distiller, Rachel leads production for Lighthouse Gin. But that never would have happened if she hadn’t taken a part-time job for an apple juice company.

The rest is history – and it’s still being written since Rachel is blazing a path for women distillers in her country.

Before Gin

From the very beginning, spirits played a part in Rachel’s life.

“I grew up in a pub my family owned in a small country town in New Zealand which gave me a lot of grounding and experience in the spirits industry,” Rachel explained. “I was able to lean on [that experience] throughout my life.”

However, the possibility of working in that industry never appealed to Rachel. She went on to have a family and raise her children not looking back at the industry with any kind of ambition.

“[I] never endeavored to make it a lifelong plan,” Rachel admitted. “I never thought about making a beverage, just pouring it.”

After her youngest went off to school, Rachel had time and began looking for a part-time role somewhere. She networked with a few school friends and landed a job with an apple juice company. But there was extra-curricular activity happening behind the scenes.

“Tucked away in the back of the shed was a still!” Rachel was immediately inspired, “I thought ‘Wow! What is going on here? I want to be part of this.’ I could not believe they were making gin, especially here in the Wairarapa.”

Prior to discovering the still and becoming entranced by gin, Rachel hadn’t liked the spirit all that much. Or at least she hadn’t thought of it beforehand.

“I always knew that gin was a popular choice for some and those who chose to drink it loved it and I wanted to be one,” Rachel recalled.

After Gin

Gin quickly caught her attention once she realized it was being made right there in her neighborhood. Rachel started learning everything she could about the spirit.

“I love the way gin is made,” Rachel said. “It has rules that need to be followed. I love how important each step of the process is, from the spirit and botanicals to the water and taking the cut.”

Making gin became the job that Rachel wanted. In 2010, she joined the Lighthouse Gin team, working side-by-side with founder Neil Catherall. Over the next four years, she trained on his 200-liter copper still and learned the unique botanical formula.

In 2014, Rachel rose to Head Distiller at Lighthouse, marking the first time a woman in New Zealand had earned that title.

“We realized there were not any other female distillers, let alone female head distillers, in New Zealand,” Rachel revealed. “It was very exciting and nerve-racking.”

Even though she was making history with every batch of gin she produced, Rachel still struggled to feel like she belonged.

“I felt I had to work extra hard to prove that I was a good choice and I could do what it takes to make a really good gin consistently,” Rachel recalled.

The biggest learning curve that Rachel dealt with was learning to trust herself and go with her gut when it came to crafting gin. “Everyone has their own way but that may not be right for you,” she said.

Gin Into the Future

“I have actually been asked a few times, ‘What does your husband think of you being a distiller?’” Rachel continued, “I just laugh and say he’s very supportive. He thinks it’s pretty cool, to be honest, and he can see how much I love it.”

Rachel attributes her success to her experience raising a family.

“Being a woman and a mother, it seems like you constantly need to be able to multitask and meet deadlines or pull rabbits out of a hat at the eleventh hour and work out how to make things happen,” Rachel confessed. “I guess that same could be said for a head distiller!”

It makes sense to Rachel that the industry is becoming more of a career option for women. In fact, she shared why she thinks women might even be better suited for the role.

“Women need to work and why not work in an industry that you are passionate about,” Rachel noted. “Women see and do things differently than men and I think we can take on criticism a lot better.”

According to Rachel, the industry has opened up quite a bit for women. She observed, “There are a lot more women involved in the industry compared to ten years ago.”

By her account, the industry became more accessible – not only for women but for all people from typically underrepresented groups. Talented distillers and professionals are welcome.

“It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from or what you look like,” she declared. “No one really cares about that. We’ve moved on. What matters is ‘Are you making a good spirit?’ And do you have the right support to do things properly?”

Evolving with Gin

Looking to the future for the spirits industry, Rachel’s happy to see a re-focus on quality for gin but also a continued effort to get creative.

“I think we went on a bit of a roller coaster ride there for a while and there were a lot of things being produced that were probably stretching the boundaries a bit too much,” she explained. “Now we are seeing that being curbed, but at the same time, we don’t want to lose distillers’ ability to be creative. I think creativity is one of the coolest parts of making gin. You are more like an artist.”

Rachel also hopes to be an inspiration to other women considering a career in distilling.

“I would love to be remembered for inspiring other women to pursue a career in a male-dominated industry, knowing it is possible to succeed,” she shared.

Succeeding – that’s something Rachel’s accomplished in spades. Her gin has been widely lauded, earning awards, including a gold from the International Wine and Spirits Competition. It’s all because she’s so very dedicated to the craft.

“I am Lighthouse Gin,” she divulged. “I am extremely passionate about making sure Lighthouse Gin continues to be what it is without making compromises to save a dollar or to keep someone happy. It is really important that we don’t lose our identity or path and we stay on track making the best gin we can and not get caught up with trends or gimmicks.”

It’s pretty safe to say that Rachel has become a pretty big fan of gin by now.