Skip to main content

More Fun Than a Mob of ‘Roos: Four Pillars Gin Comes Stateside

We’re not going to say that Four Pillars Gin is the best thing to come to America from Australia since Steve Irwin, but we’re also not not going to say it.

Established in 2013 in the Yarra Valley, Victoria, Australia, Four Pillars was founded by Cameron Mackenzie, a former Olympic runner, with the intention to bring craft distilling and craft cocktails in Australia to new levels. Mackenzie and his two partners Stuart Gregor, Matt Jones—who have over fifty years combined experience in the wine and spirits industries—have been doing a damn good job so far, winning multiple medals for their flagship gins. Now, though, they’re stepping up to the international stage, unveiling their flagship expressions, Rare Dry and their Navy Strength, in markets in New York and California.

Recommended Videos

(The name, for those wondering, comes from the distillery’s philosophy—to create a gin based on four principles: magnificent stills, the best water in the world, exquisitely sourced botanicals and good old-fashioned love.)

Rare Dry (41.8% ABV), the first gin created by Four Pillars is juniper-forward, but also includes indigenous Australian ingredients such as Tasmanian Pepperberry and Lemon Myrtle. The addition of large amounts of orange, too, help Rare Dry stand out from other dry gins on the market. For those of you still on the fence, Rare Dry was awarded a Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in 2014, and backed that up with another double gold medal at the same competition this year. This is something that no other gin has ever done.

Navy Strength (58.8% ABV) is the second gin to be released stateside and continues the tradition of other “navy-strength” spirits. Navy Strength gin as a whole is a tradition that dates back to the 1800s Royal Navy, when gin barrels were often stored next to gunpowder kegs on ships during long sea voyages. If the gin was diluted and it happened to spill on the gunpowder, the powder wouldn’t light. The Royal Navy realized that gin about a certain alcohol (57%) would still light. Hence the big, bold gins we know today as Navy Strength. The gin itself has a different profile than Rare Dry, with Australian Finger Limes being subbed in for the oranges. Ginger and turmeric also make an appearance in Navy Strength.

These gins, basically, will have you screaming “Crikey” in no time.

Rare Dry sells for $38 and Navy Strength sells for $48.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
Copperworks Distilling Co. launches Washington Peated Single Cask No. 497
Fans of peated Scotch will love this new release from Copperworks
Copperworks

Seattle's Copperworks got its name because it makes small batch whiskeys, gins, vodkas, and other sprits using traditional copper stills. Recently, this popular brand announced the launch of an exciting addition to the American single malt whiskey marketplace.
Copperworks Washington Peated American Single Malt Whiskey Single Cask No. 497

This limited-release, single barrel American single malt whiskey was made with 100% Fritz variety barley sourced from Washington's Skagit Valley. Like the famed single malt whiskies of Islay, the barley was smoked during the malting process using peat sourced from Washington State. It spent four years and three months maturing in a new American oak barrel referred to as "Single Cask No. 497".

Read more
Veritable Distillery is launching its first two spirits
Veritable Distillery is releasing a bourbon and a gin
Whiskey in a glass in a dark room

Connecticut-based Veritable Distillery is all about keeping things as authentic as possible. That's why it makes its spirits using only traditional methods and exclusively natural ingredients. Recently, the brand announced it was set to release its first two expressions: a gin and a bourbon whiskey.
Veritable Distillery's new expressions

The first two expressions from Veritable Distillery are Ship's Bell Bourbon and Southwick's American Gin.

Read more
Booker’s Bourbon launches the first batch of 2025, “Barry’s Batch”
Booker's newest release was made to pay tribute to former Beam Chairman and CEO
Whiskey in a glass by a fire

There are few small batch, limited-release bourbons as beloved as Booker's.  This highly sought-after bourbon is released four times per year with no batch the same as the one before. Recently, the Jim Beam brand announced its first batch of 2025. It's called "Barry's Batch," it was created to pay tribute to Barry Berish, former Beam Chairman and CEO and friend of Fred Noe, Beam Family 7th Generation Master Distiller.
Booker's "Barry Batch"

Barry Berish, the man the whiskey is named for, was a legendary figure at Jim Beam. He spent more than forty years working for the company. He passed away last year, and it seemed only fitting to release a bourbon in his memory.

Read more