Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin 2017: a strange, sweet, spicy drop

With World Gin Day approaching – mark your calendars, it's Saturday June 10 – Victorian distillery Four Pillars is releasing its uniquely Australian 'Bloody Shiraz' gin onto the global stage.

The name is both a tip of the slouch hat to Aussie vernacular as well as the way that purple Yarra Valley Shiraz grapes are steeped for eight weeks in Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin to allow their colour and flavour to bleed into the gin.

The result is a strange, sweet and incredibly spicy gin with a peppery, dense raspberry character. The palate delivers a long juniper and spice finish laced with fresh pine needles – and at a solid 37.8% ABV it packs a punch, making it ideally suited to cocktails.

This is Four Pillars' third edition of Bloody Shiraz Gin, which debuted for World Gin Day 2015 with just 600 bottles – a boutique experimental batch which quickly sold out.

There's plenty more to go around this year, thankfully – watch for it from June 3 at liquor stores and online at the Four Pillars website from $85.

David Flynn

David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.