My boyfriend and I are currently travelling Australia and stumbled upon Four Pillars Gin on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Healesville, in Victoria’s Yarra Valley, where the distillery is located, is traditionally wine country. Approximately an hour’s drive from Melbourne, it’s definitely worth a visit.
A tasting costs $10 each and you get to try 6 of their gins – Rare Dry Gin, Navy Strength Gin, Spiced Negroni Gin, Chardonnay Barrel Gin, Sherry Cask Gin and Bloody Shiraz Gin. One of us had to drive so we just paid for one tasting so we could both sample the gin. The only thing I didn’t like was tasting the gin neat. This worked better with some of the gins, for example the sherry variety, but because I don’t tend to drink gin without a mixer, it was difficult to decide what I did and didn’t like. However, I fully understand that this would impact on the cost of the tasting if copious amounts of tonic had to be supplied.
The distillery was founded in 2013 by Cameron, Stuart & Matt whom have a wealth of experience in the drinks industry. With over 90% of gin consumed in Australia coming from imported brands, they wanted to change that. Fun fact: Their stills are named after their mothers – Wilma, Jude & Eileen!
We both agreed that our favourites were between the Rare Dry Gin and The Bloody Shiraz which is made by steeping Yarra Valley Shiraz grapes in Rare Dry Gin for 8 weeks. We liked the novelty and colour of The Bloody Shiraz and thought it would be an interesting twist on your average G&T. I’m also really excited to try making cocktails with The Bloody Shiraz, as they gave us a cocktail book to take away with us to try.
I’d definitely recommend you stop at Four Pillars for a while to enjoy their stylish surroundings and incredible Australian gin.
Tuggy Tucks In 