Despite growing up in the historic Greytown Hotel, also known as the Top Pub, Rachel Hall was never that mad about gin. It wasn’t until her 30s that she became captivated when she met Neil Catherall, founder of Lighthouse Gin.
Lighthouse Gin was established in 2005. It was first a home makeshift distillery in the back of an apple juice factory where Rachel was working at the time. Upon watching Cathedral work his magic, Hall became enamoured with the distillation process and took to learning Cathedral’s signature techniques.
Five years after Lighthouse’s inception, Hall formally joined the business as Cathedral’s right hand in 2010. Later in 2014, he handed her the reins as a head distiller, the first female to hold this role in New Zealand.
With demand from hospitality outposts growing rapidly, Lighthouse Gin shifted operations to a larger space in Martinborough, a short drive from the Cape Palliser Lighthouse from which Lighthouse takes its name.
These days Hall oversees every step of the process, from distilling, bottling, packaging and sending orders, to hosting masterclasses and tastings across the country. Her meticulous attention to detail and refusal to cut corners is evident at every step and in the resulting award-winning drops themselves.
Lighthouse Gin is a London Dry style, meaning juniper berries are the key botanical with no less than nine ingredients giving Lighthouse its signature flavour. Coriander seeds, cinnamon quills, almonds, cassia bark, orris and liquorice root create the base, which is then infused with punchy yen ben lemons and navel oranges, zested by Hall herself of course.
But the secret ingredient in Lighthouse Gin is the water – naturally pure from years spent filtering through the ancient rock of the nearby Remutaka ranges. Hall travels 100 kilometres to collect it from a natural spring at Wharekauhau Country Estate in Palliser Bay. This water is as soft and pure as it gets and is used in the double stilling process and final cutting, giving Lighthouse Gin its renowned clean finish.
After fifteen years in the industry, Hall has a wealth of knowledge and a knack for experimentation to create the most drinkable drops around. More recently, Hall has collaborated with wineries Martinborough Vineyard and Mt Difficulty on special edition wine barrel-aged gins. She’s also heavily involved in the hospitality scene, creating bespoke Lighthouse cocktails for bars and events across New Zealand, including a mulled gin for the Greytown Festival of Christmas that’s now Wairarapa famous.
While the options are endless for how to enjoy Lighthouse, Hall’s signature serve is a timeless Gin and Tonic made with Lighthouse Original, a splash of good tonic and a slice of a naval orange.
Lighthouse Gin will soon have a new home in Foley Wines’ multi-million-dollar hospitality development, The Runholder, currently under construction in Martinborough. Adding a new custom-built copper still from German distillery manufacturer CARL will allow Hall to meet the growing demand for Lighthouse Gin. Not only that, but visitors will be able to watch Rachel in action from the tasting room with a Lighthouse Gin and Tonic in hand. Completion of The Runholder is expected later in 2023.
