Introduction: “We truly believe that nowhere tastes like Australia.”
This is the proud statement from Australia-born industry veteran and Four Pillars GTR & International Director David Hogan, who has helped drive the tremendous growth of the popular gin brand.
Since it was founded in 2013, Four Pillars has rapidly risen to become Australia’s leading craft spirit and a master spirit in the country’s gin revolution and burgeoning craft spirits industry. It has also emerged as one of the most prominent gin brands worldwide, exported to over 25 markets.
The brand was born out of an “obsession” to create a tonic, but that idea lasted about 72 hours before it rapidly moved to making gin. The obsession led the founders, Stuart Gregor, Matt Jones and Cameron Mackenzie, to discover craft distilling scenes that had been emerging in the early 2010s in the UK and the US.
With imported brands accounting for more than 90% of gin consumed in Australia for years, the Four Pillars founders aimed to introduce a homegrown gin brand.
They also sought to “shake up” the gin category, which had had little to no innovation for a long time.
With one custom-built copper, the trio set up a small distillery in 2013. Two years later, they established a distillery in Healesville, Yarra Valley, which has become a much-expanded location and home to its wide array of craft gins.
Another distillery was built in 2020 at the company’s Surry Hills Laboratory, which houses a working copper still and what it describes as a world-class cocktail bar.
Four Pillars’ continuous innovation has led the brand to win numerous awards and recognition, including the International Wine & Spirits Competition (IWSC) in 2019, 2020 and 2023, making it the first Australian distillery to be awarded in a competition.
In 2022, the brand was named Australia’s first carbon-neutral gin distillery as it unveiled an A$7 million (US$5.3 million) upgrade to its Healesville headquarters.
In travel retail, Four Pillar has also become one of the most visible gin brands on duty-free shelves, especially in the domestic market. The brand is enjoying the strong recovery of inbound tourism in the country, increasing its opportunity to drive sales.
As reported, Australasian beverage company Lion last year took full ownership of Four Pillars, just over four years after it acquired 50% of the Yarra Valley-based gin business.
The Moodie Davitt Report caught up with Hogan to discuss Four Pillars’ continued success in the channel and to reveal the brand’s travel retail expansion plans, including its exciting debut at the upcoming Tax Free World Association (TFWA) Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference in Singapore (12-16 May).
Why do you think Four Pillars resonated so much with gin lovers all over the world?
Our geographical position in the world gives us access to the most amazing botanicals and we make the most of that. From having fresh citrus year-round – a signature botanical of our Rare Dry Gin – to our home being in one of the great wine-making regions and leading to Bloody Shiraz Gin, which has spurred an entire subcategory. We truly believe that nowhere tastes like Australia. It stands to reason that Australian gin, and indeed Four Pillars, should be quite unique.
What is your overall vision for Four Pillars in travel retail? What are your priorities in terms of geography/distribution?
At Four Pillars, we see travel retail as our shop window to the world and a channel that will do our international brand-building heavy lifting. That job starts at home in Australian travel retail. With only 50% of the passengers going through Australian airports actually being Australian, this gives us a unique opportunity to build the Four Pillars brand to over 7 million international pax leaving Australia and returning to their home countries each year. From Australia, most of these passengers are passing through the major transit hubs and this is where we’re increasingly seeing positive sales traction for the brand further from our home shores. Naturally we’re investing behind these opportunities to drive rate of sale.
Now that it has become Australia’s number one craft spirits brand and one of the world’s leading gin producers, how has travel retail contributed to this rapid growth and continued success?
We were fortunate enough to have solid support from the key Australian travel retailers early doors for Four Pillars. This foot in the door, if you will, has given us credibility as we’ve established ourselves as Australia’s favourite gin (producing over 40% of all gin that comes out of Australia). Success in our home country has been key to our ability to succeed overseas as having Four Pillars on shelf either in the world’s best airports or certainly the world’s best bars is becoming less of a surprise and more of an expectation.
What role does travel retail play for your overall business? Is it more of a showcase or sales driver?
We see travel retail as the shop window for the brand, and so will continue to develop joint business plans with our partners and have found a happy medium between brand building and brand selling in the channel. Of course, relationships are key, and partnering with retailers for equitable growth is our focus.
Tell us about your plans for the upcoming TFWA Asia Pacific Exhibition & Conference and how your participation in this event will help elevate your market position.
2024 will mark the first time Four Pillars will exhibit at TFWA. As we continue to expand further beyond our shores, we see TFWA as the perfect place to engage with our partners in the region and solidify our intentions in the channel. You’ll find us on the floor with a beautiful booth inspired by our brand homes in both Sydney and Healesville in the Yarra Valley. Permanent merchandising opportunities will be featured and our multi-award-winning Head Distiller Cameron Mackenzie will be with us on the floor each day.
What have been the major changes for the brand since it was acquired by Lion? How has it helped Four Pillars’ expansion strategy and continued growth?
The Lion acquisition has provided financial stability to Four Pillars as we continue to drive growth both domestically and internationally. This added financial rigour ensures that each dollar invested is working hard for the brand. Lion sees Four Pillars, and spirits in general, as a growth driver for the wider business in 2024 and beyond. Our continued expansion internationally, supported by a strong foundation in the travel retail sector, are key to realising Lion’s expectations in spirits.
How do you plan to elevate your position in key markets?
Since Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin was first entered in the San Francisco Spirits competition back in 2013, we’ve received unprecedented accolades for our gins culminating with a threepeat of the IWSC International Gin Producer of the Year award. It is firstly through our world-class liquids that we have the right to win in key markets. Behind this, we’ve invested in our people with seasoned regional heads in each of the Americas, EMEA and Asia to drive forward our business. Again, relationships with both the on and off prem and travel retail partners are key but it generally comes down to firstly having that world’s best gins, then executing the basics perfectly in the market year in and year out that will equal our continued success.
What are Four Pillars’ further plans in travel retail and are there any major new developments in the pipeline?
Well, without giving away all of our trade secrets, the overarching plan is growth. We want to continue growing so more people can experience the world’s best gin. There are lots of plans in the pipeline so watch this space. ✈
