Four Pillars makes mainland China debut
We sat down with distributor Drinks99 to learn about the strategy behind debuting Australian gin Four Pillars in mainland China for the first time.
The distillery’s mainland China arrival comes by way of Drinks99, which will handle the gin’s distribution in the region while also taking over its distribution in Hong Kong.
Drinks99 has helped launch and grow brands such as Sipsmith, Seedlip and Mr Black Coffee Liqueur in China, and the distributor hopes to follow suit with Four Pillars.
Drinks99 is led by industry veterans Simon Disler and Daniel O’Connor.
On taking Four Pillars to China, Disler told The Spirits Business that there will be an on-trade focus, especially considering the region’s burgeoning cocktail scene.
He explained: “We’re looking to expand on the likes of Bourke’s, Green Door, and Dead Poets as champions for the brand – they all have Four Pillars-listed cocktails on their menus in Hong Kong.
“In Shanghai, Drinks99 has just relocated there from Shenzhen, emphasising how important the city has become for cocktails. The first shipment of Four Pillars to the mainland was 100% allocated upon arrival, showing the demand for quality Australian gin is strong.”
In terms of what the key age and purchasing demographics will be for Four Pillars in the region, Disler said: “we’re looking at mostly the 25-plus white collar workers – those interested in going to cocktail bars and able to spend RMB¥90++ (US$13) on a drink.
“The off-trade demographic will come later, first we need to build brand awareness and demand among cocktail drinkers and bartenders. There seems to be huge demand for the brand, with our initial entry into the market (which was early April) it seems ‘Australian’ and ‘quality’ has high demand.
“We see the same with Mr Black Coffee Liqueur, which also sells very well for us on the mainland.”
Disler added that limited releases for China is something the company would also “love to explore”.
For now though, he said: “We have already got our hands on some limited releases from the distillery – for example we will have a handful (18) of bottles of the Croissant Gin available to Hong Kong customers at Ginsanity on 16-17 May.
“In terms of a China-initiated collaboration, we’ll mainly be focusing on the core range for launch, but innovation and creativity are core pillars of the Four Pillars brand, so the potential for a limited release through the China connection in the future is something we’d love to explore.”
Naturally, cities such as Shanghai and Hong Kong will be key destinations for the brand in the region, but Disler noted that in time Drinks99 will be scaling it to wider Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, as well as Mongolia.
Sebastian Robinson, formerly the brand ambassador for Seedlip and Fernet Hunter, will join as brand ambassador for both mainland China and Hong Kong.
“We’ll be using our tried and tested method of building demand through Robinson’s activities”, he said.
“His first guest shift is on 10 May at Hope & Sesame in Shenzhen. Then 1 June he’ll be at Root Down in Shanghai, and later in June he’ll be popping up in Chengdu and Dalian.
“Bars and bartenders from the second and third tier cities will travel to see these and/or share across WeChat, Weibo, Little Red Book. Our strategy is to really get the message across that Four Pillars is the world’s best gin and build that brand message in the bar community.”
Four Pillars was founded by Matt Jones, Cameron Mackenzie and Stuart Gregor in 2013.
Mackenzie left the gin brand in August last year, with Sarah Prowse taking over as head distiller.
Mackenzie previously told the The Spirits Business that Australia could miss out on being a “fantastic global player” in spirits due to the country’s excise tax policy.
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