![\"Gilchrist\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Gilchrist-2.jpg\")
Gilchrist\u2019s international cricket career for Australia spanned more than 20 years<\/p>\nFor Adam Gilchrist \u2013 one of cricket\u2019s greats \u2013 life after the game has unfolded in a new direction entirely, with his own Tequila brand, El Arquero.<\/p>\n
Gilchrist\u2019s international cricket career for Australia spanned more than 20 years<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always joked about having a crack at a label and then around two-and-a-half years ago, my wife [Mel Gilchrist] said: \u2018Right, either put up or shut up\u2019,\u201d he tells The Spirits Business about taking the plunge into the spirits world with El Arquero<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gilchrist, who often goes by the nickname \u2018Gilly\u2019, confesses he\u2019s had a love for the Mexican agave spirit for a \u201clong, long time\u201d, but like many, he had a \u201cbad experience when I was far too young\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cI managed to fight back and find decent premium Tequilas. Starting my own brand has always been something of interest to me,\u201d he says. \u201cI know Tequila is trending at the moment, but I was a fan even through the bad times. It\u2019s been a dream of mine to do this for about 10 years, and we put a lot of time and effort and resources into bringing it to reality.\u201d<\/p>\n The name El Arquero is a subtle reference to his past as a cricketer, with one of the translations from Spanish to English being \u2018the keeper\u2019, which was the role he revolutionised in the sport as Australia\u2019s wicket-keeper for nearly 20 years.<\/p>\n Along with wife Mel, the founding group includes industry veterans Eddie Brook of Cape Byron Distillery and Dan Fitzgerald of Fourth Wave Wine, as well as friends Stephen Atkinson (Gilchrist\u2019s former manager) and John Eastham.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a balanced skill set among our founders, who all contribute in different ways,\u201d Gilchrist says. \u201cOne\u2019s an accountant, one\u2019s a lawyer, one\u2019s a distiller and one has built wine brands previously. I\u2019m trying to work out what I bring.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilchrist says a big challenge for the team was finding someone to manage sales. The founders took a \u201cbold play\u201d and hired a national sales manager \u201clong before we\u2019d even sold a bottle, unfortunately\u201d. That was Geoff Crossman, who had been at Campari for 13 years in sales manager roles.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s ex-Campari and has been in the industry for 25 years, so he knows it well. He\u2019s been heaven-sent,\u201d Gilchrist says.<\/p>\n Gilchrist and the team set out to Jalisco last year to find a distillery that would build the right profile, opting for the B\u00e1\u00f1uelos family at Destiladora de Los Altos (NOM 1412).<\/p>\n \u201cThe grandfather of our distiller was the founder of Cazadores,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s a brand that\u2019s done really well; it was acquired by Bacardi in 2002.\u201d<\/p>\n The team engaged with a consultancy group that brokered introductions to eight distilleries, four in the Highlands of Jalisco and four in the Tequila valley.<\/p>\n \u201cWe tasted all the liquids they make for their home brand and learned a bit about them. Then we told them a bit about us and what we were aspiring to achieve,\u201d he says. \u201cFrom that, we had to whittle it down and find one to partner [with] and this distillery \u2013 with the family history and the heritage in distilling \u2013 was proven in what it does.\u201d<\/p>\n For the range, Gilchrist has started with a blanco and reposado aged for five months in American oak ex-Bourbon barrels, while an a\u00f1ejo sits in barrels ahead of a release next year.<\/p>\n \u201cI always want to taste the blanco, just to get an idea where it starts,\u201d he says. \u201cWe were really keen to try and tailor a liquid profile for people in Australia, particularly, who are a bit non-committal with Tequila. They\u2019ll always say it burns too much, it\u2019s too hot and aggressive at the back end of the taste.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we wanted to try and develop something that takes a bit off the heat and that strong ethanol alcohol burn at the back of the taste, without losing any of the impact.\u201d<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say El Alquero doesn\u2019t pack a punch. \u201cI mean it\u2019s Tequila, it\u2019s a spirit \u2013 you still want it to have a little bit of oomph,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n The brand takes 20% of the liquid from its initial blanco batch and rests it in oak for 20 days. The rested Tequila is then blended into the remainder of the blanco.\u00a0\u201cWe found it eased off that aggressive, really high-impact alcohol at the back end of tasting. It brought in naturally produced creamy vanilla notes that a lot of Tequila companies can achieve typically with additives and flavouring and so on,\u201d he explains.\u00a0\u201cWhich is fine if there\u2019s demand for that, but we were really hellbent on being additive-free.\u201d<\/p>\n The brand claims it\u2019s verified as 100% additive-free by the Additive Free Alliance<\/a>. Gilchrist adds: \u201cWe are just agave, yeast and water \u2013 that\u2019s our liquid profile.\u201d<\/p>\n Australia\u2019s budding relationship with Tequila<\/p>\n Compared with the US and even the UK and Europe, Australia is still a fair bit behind in how general consumers perceive Tequila. The spirit is perhaps still in its image makeover phase.<\/p>\n \u201cI would describe Australia as a relatively immature market for Tequila,\u201d Gilchrist says. \u201cIt still gets a dud rap that it\u2019s a two-trick pony where it\u2019s only in Margaritas, or it\u2019s only a late-night shot where you\u2019re getting hammered.<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, it\u2019s so much more versatile than that, particularly in the premium tiers and that\u2019s what we are. We\u2019re playing in this premium space, but we\u2019re not out of reach. We\u2019re not claiming to be an AU$300-$400 bottle, we\u2019re sitting around that sort of AU$100 range.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a stretch for some people, we know, but we hope that they find it\u2019s worth stretching for.\u201d<\/p>\n Although Australia is highly regulated, Gilchrist maintains that El Alquero hasn\u2019t yet faced major hurdles in getting the product in from Mexico. \u201cIt\u2019s effectively coming from the other side of the world, so transit times are probably the biggest challenge, but hopefully we can get ourselves into a system that has order and regularity to it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cAs far as getting it in, there are tariffs and taxes that we need to pay. We were very aware of those before we started, and that\u2019s just part of the cost of goods really, but we factor that into our pricing, and certainly what we feel is a fair and reasonable deal for our customers.\u201d<\/p>\n Branding-wise, Gilchrist says he\u2019s going for the common ground in lifestyles between Mexico and Australia. \u201cIt\u2019s featured around the sun, outdoor lifestyles, beaches, fiestas, barbecues \u2013 that\u2019s what our branding is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n Being viewed as premium is important, but equally so is being seen as approachable: \u201cWe want to be a vibrant, energetic type of brand that can sit on a premium shelf alongside premium brands, but also one that people can resonate with. They can grab a bottle with some sodas and juices and go down to the beach and pour it in a Highball glass with ice, and still have a good time.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re trying to be pretty versatile, but there\u2019s no doubt our liquid stacks up as a premium liquid.\u201d<\/p>\n Australia is also becoming an agave-growing region in its own right \u2013 with brands such as Act of Treason<\/a> and Beudi<\/a>. However, the idea to draw from home, or be \u2018Australia-made\u2019, was never of interest to Gilchrist.<\/p>\n \u201cNot for a moment am I bagging what people are doing,\u201d he clarifies, \u201cbut my whole aspiration and inspiration for this was to do something authentically produced in Mexico, because that\u2019s what I love about Tequila.<\/p>\n \u201cOne, you can call it Tequila, and two, it\u2019s got all that heritage and history. That\u2019s what interested me. I don\u2019t want to become an agave farmer in Australia. I\u2019ll leave that to the experts.\u201d<\/p>\n Global goals<\/p>\n Gilchrist is also aware of the scepticism surrounding spirits brands created by celebrities, especially with high-profile people in the US and Tequila. He also doesn\u2019t classify himself with that status. He is Australian for one, but he also adds: \u201cWe were very conscious that at the end of the day, it\u2019s what\u2019s in the bottle that\u2019s going to have to stand up \u2013 that\u2019s the biggest thing, first and foremost. You have a quality liquid and build a brand around that.<\/p>\n \u201cWe knew we had to build a brand that can stand on its own and not just be Adam Gilchrist, the ex-cricketer\u2019s brand. We do want to look overseas outside of Australia eventually \u2013 to the UK, India, New Zealand and up into Asia, in Singapore, where we\u2019re really keen.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to get a foundation set here first, but I know there are a lot of people in those countries who don\u2019t have a clue who I am. We have to build a quality brand and make the story authentic. I\u2019m the founder and the major shareholder, so I haven\u2019t been paid to come in and endorse this.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the way I sell it most in terms of hopefully not being bracketed as a \u2018celebrity Tequila\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n The feedback has been so far, so good for Gilchrist, who\u2019s managed to get the brand stocked at Caretaker\u2019s Cottage<\/a>, one of Melbourne\u2019s most reputable bars. \u201cThey wouldn\u2019t agree to take us on if they thought it was rubbish,\u201d he says, \u201cso that\u2019s a nice validation of what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n His focus is on solidifying the brand in both retail and on-trade channels. \u201cIndependent retailers and both the national groups of retail outlets have taken us on board, but we\u2019ve also got a real focus on cocktail bars, restaurants and hotel groups.\u201d<\/p>\n He also talks about the importance of being well-received on back bars and on cocktail lists. \u201cWe know that the best way to win retail is to have people drinking it in on-trade venues first and getting it on their lips. That transfers, hopefully, into sales for retail as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a big cycle that everyone plays their part in,\u201d he says, and also one that he feels has been his biggest learning as a newcomer to the industry.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s not just a case of: \u2018Right, get it on a shelf and your job\u2019s done\u2019. You\u2019ve got to help and partner with these venues to introduce it to customers, make it an attractive proposition, let them feel like they\u2019re getting quality, but also value.\u201d<\/p>\n Gilchrist has been on the ground getting the word out, personally meeting pub owners both small and large, including groups that operate 50 venues. \u201cAnd everything in between,\u201d he stresses.<\/p>\n However, Gilchrist and the team won\u2019t be doing anything preemptively. \u201cWe just want to get a foundation set,\u201d he says. \u201cCompared with the big brands, we are an absolute drop in the ocean, but we hopefully can get established. That was very much part of partnering with the distiller that we have.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve just grown their operation, so if we do need to scale up, we feel comfortable that they\u2019ve got the capacity, and to do it in a manner that we can still have the premium experience in the bottle, and still produce a decent volume while not losing any of that authenticity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re effectively a startup company. The biggest challenge, and it\u2019s a nice compliment, is being able to work out if we\u2019re capitalising on the size of the opportunity that has been afforded,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve been overwhelmed by the support of people wanting to stock us.\u201d<\/p>\n Related news<\/p>\n \n \n ![\"Gilchrist\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Gilchrist-3.jpg\")
L-R: Adam Gilchrist, Eddie Brook, Dan Fitzgerald, Stephen Atkinson and John Eastham<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Gilchrist-1-1.jpg\")
The co-founders visited Jalisco last year<\/p>\n![\"El](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Gilchrist-350x350.jpg\")
El Arquero has a blanco and a reposado<\/p>\n
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