Four Pillars hopeful of prestigious victory two years running

Australian distillery, Four Pillars Gin has been shortlisted with just three other gin producers for the 2020 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) International Gin Producer of the Year trophy, which the Yarra Valley based distillery took home in 2019.

The IWSC is the world’s largest and most prestigious international competition for spirits and the trophy winners will be announced at a virtual ceremony broadcast from London on November 18.

“To win it this year would be pretty incredible, considering we made all these plans to take the 2019 trophy on a global tour and so far, it has made it no further than Sydney, we haven’t even got it to Queensland...” said Four Pillars Distiller and Co-Founder Cameron Mackenzie.

“To win this trophy once was obviously a life highlight, to win it a second time would frankly be beyond belief – I’m pretty sure I’d have to retire.”

Four Pillars received exceptional accolades from the 2020 IWSC with two Gold medals being won by their two most popular gins; the original Rare Dry Gin (which has now collected at least one Gold Medal at an international show every year since 2014) and Bloody Shiraz Gin, the unique purple elixir that is taking the world by storm. 

The distillery also won five top Silver medals for its Olive Leaf Gin, Spiced Negroni Gin, Navy Strength Gin, Single Cask S31 and Sherry Cask Gin.

Four Pillars Gin was the first Australian distillery to win the award for International Gin Producer of the Year, in recognition of its leading role in the world of gin, all anchored to its home in Healesville, Yarra Valley.

“This nomination is a tribute to our entire team, however we cannot understate the immense contribution of the guys in the shed actually making the stuff worth drinking, and worth talking about,” said Mackenzie.

Four Pillars was founded by Cameron Mackenzie alongside drinks industry veteran Stuart Gregor and creative brand strategist Matt Jones in 2013 and the business took on Lion (a subsidiary of Kirin) as a 50% shareholder in April 2019. The three founders remain at the helm of the business and Four Pillars is today distributed in more than 30 markets across the world.