The West Winds Team

Paul White – Ships’ Captain and Chief Navigator

Prior to launching the good ship West Winds Gin, Captain White straddled continents, working in Australia and the USA at an impressive collection of Blue Chip management consultancy firms. Bringing this wealth of experience to Margaret Region, he jumped ship – literally – and changed tack he learned the distiller’s craft in 2006 and launched the West Winds Gin Distillery in 2010. Responsible for the development of the distillery’s gins, like any Captain worth his (sea) salt, Paul has his eyes firmly on the horizon to build the business further, with plans to propel West Winds Gin across the globe. His drink of choice is a Negroni, the prince of cocktails and despite answering Hollywood’s call with a part in a Nicole Kidman movie (Windrider), Paul has concentrated on honing his ocean skills in Margaret River and enjoys windsurfing, wakeboarding, sailing and SUPPING. In winter, he swaps the ocean for snowfields, and grabs a snowboard and heads above sea level.

Ant Reynolds – Ship’s Rigger and Head Distiller

Like a barrel of rum, Ant is steeped in the liquor business and so it’s no surprise he plays a pivotal role on deck at West Winds Gin. As the Head Distiller, Ant’s experience as a winemaker and proprietor of a liquor store lends the family of West Winds Gins an extra nip of genius. He graduated with a couple of BSc’s to his name and has managed wine production for some big name Margaret River wineries, bringing his finely honed palette to each and every flavour development session in Cowaramup. 

Lynn Ford – Ship’s Petty Officer and Purser

Arguably the engine of the West Winds Gin ship, Lynn makes no secret of the fact that she loves a list and ticking things off said list. This may be as mundane as making sure the unisex bathroom is presentable and the toilet seat is down to updating the export and duty-free sales spreadsheets. Organised to the nth degree, you’ll find Lynn in charge of events, festivals and distillery bookings, as well as the Person Most Likely to Remember it’s your birthday. With the company since 20210, Lynn makes sure everything (and everyone) is shipshape and Bristol fashion. A true career chameleon, Lynn has reinvented herself more times than Madonna and is also the resident office DJ. An advocate through and through, Lynn loves anything gin-based – luckily working for a distillery means she has an endless supply of her favourite beverage.

Ryan Bowden – Marketing Director and Yeoman of the Sheets

Ryan knows his port from his starboard when it comes to advertising and marketing. A 25-year veteran of the industry, he can turn his hand to most tasks and regularly flies the flag for West Winds Gin. In 2021, he was tasked with navigating the choppy waters of the spirits industry, as it was buffeted by the effects of a global pandemic. He’s always looking through the eyeglass for opportunities to share the WWG story with the world, an easy task when you consider the chest full of awards our gins have won. Ryan doesn’t reserve his love of the ocean to his day job. You’ll more often than not find him riding the waves off Surfers Point in Margs or trying his luck to gather its bounty (that’s fishing to you and me). Ryan is very partial to a Negroni but also happy as a landlubbing sailor to crack open a can of our famous WWG Strawberry and Basil G+S.

Tash Hutchinson – Ship’s Mate and Admin Guru

An essential part of the West Winds Gin crew, Tash has over 30 years of experience in keeping a business running smoothly, whatever the weather. She cut her teeth in Perth’s competitive legal world before moving down to the South West in early 2022. Fortunately, as a lover of gin, the career switch was smooth sailing for Tash and as she learns more about distilling and the industry as a whole, she’s willing to do the hard yards to become a bona fide Gin-ius. Unless she’s chilling at home in her Zen Chair, you’re most likely to stumble across Tash in an upmarket restaurant with good friends, unless she’s upped anchor and headed overseas for holiday.

Greg Harding – Manager of the Tavern in Cowaramup

Greg has earned his stripes among the rigging of many venues around Western Australia and the UK as a manager and deckhand. From his most recent stint at Limestone Coast Brewing’s outlets in Perth, he comes to the West Winds Gin’s new distillery in Cowaramup with bags of enthusiasm and experience. No stranger to awards – he won the Gold Plate Award for Best New Brewery in 2021 – Greg will be laser-focused on launching our newest addition to the West Winds Gin voyage with one of the safest pair of hands in the business.