Australian Distillers welcomed three new inductees into its Hall of Fame at its annual conference in Brisbane this week, with Bellarine Distillery’s Lorelle Warren and Four Pillars’ Cameron Mackenzie recognised along with a posthumous induction for Bundaberg Rum’s Graham Golchert.
The trio join six others in the Australian Distillers Hall of Fame, after the four founding fathers of the modern Australian craft distilling scene became the inaugural inductees in 2022. The first four were Bill Lark, Cameron Syme, Patrick Maguire and posthumously Raymond ‘Spike’ Dessert. Lyn Lark & Stu Gregor were inducted in 2023.
Bellarine Distillery said: “[We are] extremely proud to announce that our very own Lorelle Warren has been inducted into the Australian Distillers Hall of Fame for her service to the industry and her pivotal role in securing $20m of Victorian state grants that are currently helping Victorian Distilleries with safety compliance, education, and distillery door infrastructure.
“This award is an amazing achievement and a wonderful acknowledgement of the hard work and commitment that Lorelle has given to the distilling industry.”
Cameron Mackenzie has been a driving force behind the global success of Four Pillars, and he was understandably delighted by this local recognition.
“Being the seventh inductee to the AD Hall of Fame is truly an honour,” Cameron says. “Of course, Stuart [Gregor] had to beat me in as inductee number six last year.
“But this really is a testament to how far Four Pillars and Australia’s craft distilling industry has come over the last ten years. When we first started out, there were a handful of people making gin in Australia and we were just a few blokes in the back of a winery with a single copper still.
“Now I’m standing in a room alongside hundreds of innovators and leaders in the craft industry… it’s an incredible decade to celebrate.”
This year’s Australian Distillers Conference celebrated 20 years of the association, and was widely recognised as its best conference yet with a wide variety of expert speakers and presentations as well as an excellent, interactive trade show.
