Patsy Bass – Founder of Reefton Distilling Co. & Little Biddy Spirits.
Born in Reefton and although her family moved away while she was a young child they came back at every opportunity so still feels like she grew up there. Almost 20 years ago she bought a bach in Reefton, and in 2016 began to wonder what life would be like if she made the full-time move to Reefton. With the closure of mines & mills, Patsy was keen to see what she could do to create a business to help revitalise Reefton, after exploring many ideas the distillery took flight.
The support of the town and people in Reefton has played no small part in their success. In just under 2 years they had set-up a thriving business, created jobs local people with flow on effects for other businesses.
Today, Little Biddy Gin is the fastest growing gin in New Zealand and has won many national and international awards over the years. The most recent release, Little Biddy Amber, achieving a Gold Medal at the prestigious 2025 San Francisco Spirit Awards (along with their Classic sku!)
