ESTABLISHED in 2013 in the Yarra Valley on the outskirts of Melbourne, Four Pillars Gin has become one of the world’s popular distilleries known for its craft spirits. LYFE spoke with Albane Corbi, their Asia Trade Manager, and David Hogan, their GTR & International Sales Director to find out more about their gin.
They started with their Rare Dry Gin, a classically smooth gin that combines Asian botanicals with great Mediterranean citrus, which won them gold at the Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition and subsequently double gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition in just a year. Having the awards validated their experimentation, infusing citrus became the signature of Four Pillars, alluded Hogan.
Headlined by its original Rare Dry Gin, Olive Leaf Gin, Spiced Negroni Gin, the cult favourite Bloody Shiraz Gin and the world’s most-awarded Navy Strength Gin, they are well-known for their bright citrusy flavours made with Australian-grown fruits.
After using oranges in their Rare Dry Gin and finger limes in their Navy Strength Gin, they continued to go down the long list of citruses. According to Corbi, they have exceptional weather in Australia which allows them to have fresh citruses all year long. With that in mind, they broadened their list of citrus-distilled gin to using blood orange, grapefruit, cumquat and bergamot.
During the pandemic, they decided to experiment with their Japanese friends to add to their portfolio using – yuzu.
Native to China, Tibet and Japan, fresh yuzu has a distinctive tart, fragrant, and sour taste that almost resembles grapefruit, mandarin orange, cumquat, or lemon. It isn’t as astringent as grapefruit or as sour as a lemon and is one of the most popular citrus fruits in Japan.
They first dabbled with yuzu when they made their Pure Kisumé Gin at Melbourne’s Kisumé restaurant in 2017, and again with their Distiller Series Changing Seasons Gin with the Kyoto Distillery in 2019.
In 2020, they released Yuzu Gin under the guise of the limited batch Rarer Dry Gin. Hogan said that during the partnership with the Japanese distillery, the yuzu-infused gin sold out almost immediately. They realized there was a marketplace of people who wanted to experience a gin with yuzu, and thus the Fresh Yuzu Gin became the newest stand-alone addition to the core range at Four Pillars.
In the press release given, Four Pillars Co-founder and Distiller Cam Mackenzie talks about creating the taste of Fresh Yuzu Gin notes: “In our take on Yuzu gin, we’ve used ginger, turmeric and sencha genmaicha, a Japanese green tea with roasted brown rice, for depth of flavour. A canvas of strong pine-needle juniper and a bit of lemon myrtle add a touch of lemon curd.”
During their launch, I tried it in a Highball with plenty of ice, club soda and fresh yuzu garnish. It was beautifully made with a lot of bright, clear botanical character. Instead of the flavours being added at the back of the production, the aroma and scene of the fruits are added during the distillation process, giving it a smoother, more natural flavour. The evolution on the palate is clear and gradual, but best of all, there aren’t any extra added calories in Highballs. Personally, I love the taste of citrus, so it was definitely my kind of drink. When I asked Hogan if they were coming up with any new additions to the Four Pillars gin family, he confirmed and said to keep an eye on their socials in the next coming few months.
Four ways to serve Fresh Yuzu Gin by James Irvine, Creative Director of Four Pillars
-> YUZU HIGHBALL
Ingredients:
45mL Fresh Yuzu Gin
100mL soda water Lemon
Method:
Mix gin and soda water in a highball glass over ice. Garnish with a wedge of lemon.
-> YUZU GIN FIZZ
Ingredients:
45mL Fresh Yuzu Gin
30mL fresh lemon juice
20mL sugar syrup [1:1]
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1 egg white [optional]
Soda water
Method:
Shake gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, egg white and bitters over ice. Fine strain into a chilled rocks glass and top with soda water.
-> COSMOPOLI-GIN
Ingredients:
50mL Fresh Yuzu Gin
30mL cranberry juice
15mL fresh lime juice 10mL triple sec
5mL sugar syrup [1:1] Orange
Method:
Shake ingredients over ice then fine strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with orange zest.
-> YUZU DROP MARTINI
Ingredients:
60mL Fresh Yuzu Gin
20mL fresh lemon juice
10mL sugar syrup [1:1]
10mL triple sec Caster sugar
Method:
Rim a chilled cocktail glass with caster sugar. Stir ingredients over ice in a mixing glass, then strain into the cocktail glass.
