Lesley Gracie

Master distiller, Hendrick’s Gin

A chemist by trade, Lesley Gracie has been working with William Grant & Sons since 1988. In the late 1990s, she was asked by Charles Gordon to develop a gin that would defy the conventions that had dominated the category for decades. The result was Hendrick’s Gin, released in 2000, the brand for which she is still master distiller and which helped to launch a worldwide craft gin resurgence. While at the helm at the Hendrick’s Gin Palace in Girvan, Scotland (a spectacular complex that she helped to design) Lesley’s skills have powered the quirky brand’s rise to global prominence in the premium spirits market and she has helped to craft new expressions that continue to push boundaries in gin creation, even travelling deep into the Amazon jungle in search of inspiration. With an unfaltering dedication to precision and a desire to innovate in her spirits, Lesley serves as a beacon of excellence in the distilling industry, both in the UK and abroad.