How a global industry icon was created right here in Australia - with insights, stories and recipes from a co-founder of Four Pillars Gin

How did a small business from a regional Aussie town get voted the world's best gin producer THREE times? Four Pillars Gin, a craft distillery in Victoria's Yarra Valley, today is not only an Australian favourite but a global powerhouse. Co-founder Matt Jones shares the secrets behind building a brand that started as a small cult favourite and has become a world-leading success. Including stories, recipes and business lessons from a decade of gin-soaked archives, Lessons from Gin has the ingredients you need to grow your own business and brand.

Matt tells his side of the extraordinary Four Pillars story, sharing what he and the team learned in a decade that changed the distilling industry in Australia. Taking you on his journey as a creative brand strategist during the rise of social media, he reveals how Four Pillars became a benchmark for excellence and a beloved household name. You'll discover how true innovators think creatively and strategically, with practical models for driving incredible growth in your own career and industry.

In Lessons from Gin, you'll learn how to:

• Place creativity at the heart of your business


• Design a brand that tells a story


• Craft the kind of product excellence that wins fans and followers


• Create experiences that engage and build a community of loyal believers


• Develop a culture and lead a team of passionate people through a shared purpose and vision


• Build a sustainable business anchored in genuine values and bold ambition

Lessons from Gin gives Four Pillars fans real insight into how their favourite gin conquered the world. It is a must-read for entrepreneurs, business owners, marketers, and leaders in any industry who want to craft a brand that people love to want.

About the author xi

Prologue xiii

Part One: Thinking 1

1 In the beginning, there was a decision 3

2 Okay, so we're doing this. But doing what, exactly? 7

3 Riding the fourth gin wave 11

Drinks Break No.1: The (Gin) Martini 16

4 Starting as you mean to go on - every decision matters most 23

Useful Bit #1: Decision Checklist 28

5 It's never too early to think about your why 33

Useful Bit #2: The Butterfly and The Brick 38

6 Growth theory, relationships and money 45

Useful Bit #3: Picturing Success 48

Useful Bit #4: Thinking in Action: A Four Pillars Example 54

Part Two: Crafting 61

7 Rare Dry Gin and the crafting of the Four Pillars brand 63

Useful Bit #5: Capabilities, Behaviours and Relationships 72

8 The first three months 75

Useful Bit #6: Feeling Benchmarks 78

9 Overnight emails, opportunism and staying on strategy 83

Drinks Break No.2: The Gin & Tonic 90

10 From gin to gins ... and 'Made From Gin' 97

Useful Bit #7: Strategic Storytelling 102

11 Experiments that worked 105

Useful Bit #8: A Four Pillars Example 112

Part Three: Sharing 119

12 Launch as you mean to go on 121

Useful Bit #9: Conversation Hierarchy 130

13 Collaborative to the core 135

Drinks Break No.3: The Negroni 142

14 A gin-fuelled content rocket 147

Useful Bit #10: Theory of Brand Success 152

15 Home is where the gin is 159

16 Faith in the power of experiences (and word of mouth) 171

Useful Bit #11: Brand Experience Playbook 174

17 A people-powered gin family 179

Useful Bit #12: A Four Pillars Example 182

Part Four: Growing 187

18 Balancing acts 189

Useful Bit #13: Simplifying Complexity 196

19 Leading through growth 199

Useful Bit #14: Choice Matrices 206

20 The best in the world ... pivoting and staying the course 211

Useful Bit #15: Visualising Transformation 222

21 Questioning everything 225

Useful Bit #16: A Four Pillars Example 230

22 Ten years down, another decade ahead of us 235

A final word 241

Drinks Break No.4: Drinking better (gin) 242

PS: A useful reading list 253

Acknowledgements 257

Index 259