QF100 Gin
When Qantas asked us to make a gin for their 100th anniversary, we were chuffed.
Our national carrier has become a global business of the highest regard, flying the flag for modern Australia. And that's exactly what we aspire to be at Four Pillars. Crazy they started out in a shed in Longreach, Queensland, all that time ago, and now the iconic red tail in the sky reminds all Australians of home.
Nowhere tastes quite like Australia, and we are lucky to have a botanical paradise growing in our golden soil. Though when Qantas challenged us to use a botanical from their home in outback Queensland to star in this gin, we honestly thought there wasn't much out in that area.
And so Cam flew to Longreach to find out. It was roasting hot but really green after lots of rain the week before, and he met with local elder Suzanne Thompson on a thousand-acre property handed back to the Indigenous community. Surprisingly, the property was a giant bush food supermarket and Suzanne guided Cam through the stories of the indigenous botanicals. Almost every grass, leaf, berry, and fruit has a use within the Indigenous culture and has done for thousands of years.
There Cam and Suzanne foraged for the missing ingredient and found a winner – native lemongrass, which gave the entire area an incredible aroma after the rains. They knew this botanical would work magnificently because it paired well with the vibrancy of the other botanicals like macadamia and lemon myrtle. It's this distinctive lemongrass that is at the heart of this gin. The gin's botanical flight path then took us around Australia and the world, resulting in a big, citrus-forward gin with bright citrus aromas and soft floral notes.
Our limited run of QF100 Gin was served up in cocktails at the QANTAS lounge and available to purchase directly through QANTAS' website.
Delicious, Australian, global and interesting, we reckon QF100 encapsulates the spirit of Australia. Watch the beautiful video Qantas made about the journey of this gin below.
