Rachel Reed owns Reed and Co Distillery with her partner, Hamish, and is the creator of Remedy gin .
What’s the name of your distillery?
How long have you been a distiller?
I’ve been legally distilling for two years.
How did you become a distiller?
It started out as an interest that grew into an add-on to our restaurant (Tani Eat and Drink) with the intent to make spirits for our bar only. After testing and distilling individual botanicals my interest grew into an obsession that has led to us closing the restaurant and building a new distillery.
What is the best thing about your job?
Finding and profiling botanicals, testing how they change under different conditions. I’ve always loved creating recipes through my cooking, I think that experience allows me to look at the botanicals from a slightly different prospective.
What is the most challenging thing about distilling gin?
Dealing with the variance in botanicals, for example when the season changes so do the flavour and oil levels. This means we are always making small adjustments to achieve a consistent gin.
How did you choose which botanicals to use?
We start with a finished flavour profile in mind, always looking to use local and wild botanicals to reflect a sense of place. By layering botanicals of similar flavour profiles to achieve one flavour. For example if a fruit element is desired it sometimes needs to be achieved by layering multiple other botanicals, opposed to distilling the fruit. Some fruits will give off a vegetable profile after it has been subdued to high temperatures through the distillation process.
Who/what inspires you?
Who? My partner Hamish. We work well together and push each other to our limits. What? Our gorgeous surroundings.
Name your 3 favourite gins
Zuidas Dutch Courage gin, Ferdinand’s Sarr Dry Gin and Melbourne Gin Company Dry Gin.
(“I would put ours but it doesn’t seem right!”)
Your favourite gin cocktail and why?
Negroni, it’s a classic that never lets you down.
Which are your favourite bars (anywhere in the world)
It’s hard to find time to go out when we are regional and self-employed but these two come to mind Above Board in Melbourne and Gen. Yamamoto in Tokyo. They are both intimate bars where the cocktails are made with thought and precision.
What advice would you give to women wishing to become a distiller?
Just do what you want to do and allow time for trial and error.
