Shanna-Rae Wilby

The Climb

Since 2013, co-founding and head distilling have sat side by side at Time Anchor Distillery for Shanna-Rae Wilby. That combination matters in distilling, where the person setting the standard is often the person carrying it out. The role has kept her close to both the build of the business and the detail of the spirit, with direction on one hand and repeatable production on the other. In that sense, the work has been about turning intent into a finished distillate without losing control of the process.

Today

Since 2013, Shanna-Rae Wilby has remained owner and head distiller at Time Anchor Distillery in Johannesburg. The business is still the same family-built operation founded by Shanna-Rae Wilby and her husband Warrick Brown, with the work anchored in continuity rather than scale for its own sake. Johannesburg is the setting, but the core of the operation is the distillery floor: measured, hands-on, and shaped by the discipline required to keep a house style steady.

Signature

The range shows a distilling language built through contrast and clarity: Blue Orient Gin, Pink Damask Rose Gin, and Amber African Botanical Gin each signal a different register while staying within the same house. Taken together, Mirari Blue Orient Gin, Mirari Pink Damask Rose Gin, and Mirari Amber African Botanical Gin point to a line that works with botanical expression as a defining tool.

In Their Words “It’s a proudly South African family-business founded in 2013 by Shanna-Rae Wilby and her husband Warrick Brown.” The first line states the business model plainly: family ownership, South African base, and a founding year that fixes the operation in place. The second shifts from structure to atmosphere, pointing to the human side of the distillery’s setting without dressing it up.

Recognition

Woman Distiller of the Year sits well with a career built on ownership, consistency, and hands-on distilling. It is the kind of recognition that tracks craft discipline more than image, and it places Shanna-Rae Wilby in a category defined by technical responsibility and sustained work.