Four Pillars Gin opens large scale distillery in Healesville

OF ALL the gin joints in all the world, you have to walk into this latest destination in Melbourne’s outer east.

Local flavour feature is on Four Pillars Gin who have opened a distillery in Healesville. The co-owner Cameron Mackenzie smells his product. Picture : Stuart Milligan

A FORMER Australian Olympic sprinter turned gin king has set up a new distillery in Healesville.

Four Pillars Gin distillery and cellar door is the new home for the multi-award winning tipple — the creation of co-owner and distiller Cameron Mackenzie.

Despite only launching the label in December 2013, Mr Mackenzie’s gin has become internationally renowned and he is confident the business will become another drawcard in the tourist destination.

“At the moment we have four different gins in large-scale production, all of which have won gold medals and then we do a series of small-batch gins only available through the cellar door,” Mr Mackenzie said.

The distillery has different gins in large-scale production. Picture: Stuart Milligan

“People can come and taste all the gins and our staff will talk you through each of the gins, each of the botanicals, what they look like, smell like and what the process is.”

Once you’ve experienced the taste testing there is no need to run off; people are more than welcome to sit back over a quiet gin and tonic at the cellar door bar.

Mr Mackenzie has always had a passion for the alcohol industry but his journey towards creating Four Pillars along with business partner Stuart Gregor is arguably one best told over a relaxing gin.

In 1996 Mr Mackenzie represented Australia as a 400m runner at the Atlanta Olympic Games. From there he narrowly missed out on the Sydney Olympic team before dedicating his time wholly to the alcohol business.

“I was working in the wine industry while I was an athlete,” he said.

“Then I was fulltime in the wine industry until about five years ago I started thinking about doing something outside of wine.

“At the time we were wine makers but gin drinkers.”

The crowning jewel of their production to date has been their Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, which was a double gold medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirit Competition.