Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin, 70 cl - Award Winning Premium Australian Gin - With 9 Signature Botanicals and Mediterranean Citrus - Idea for Gin and Tonic Serves

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Australia’s Southernmost distillery overlooks Port Arthur and the view from the Bothy (pictured) is absolutely breathtaking.

Make sure you take time out at Bar Botanica, a casual dining spot set in the distillery gardens and home to Mr Goaty Gelato. The Blue Mountains Botanic Garden Mount Tomas suffered catastrophic damage as a result of the fires. Profits from this Grown Spirits collaboration with the botanic garden will go towards funding rebuilding and repair of the gardens.Four Pillars have just opened a new distillery in Victoria expanding its production. Four Pillars Navy Strength Gin (58.8% ABV) uses fresh ‘Judy’s Everbearing’ finger limes along with organic oranges to create a punchy navy strength gin that’s very clean and bursting with citrus and coriander notes. Star anise, fresh ginger and fresh turmeric contribute to its earthy notes and make it a fine gin to use in a Dirty Martini or in a punchy gin and tonic. Different distilling techniques are employed along with different equipment to help dial in the exact extraction of botanicals these distillers want to infuse into their gin. This further adds to the great range of gins out there and is one of the primary reasons why we’ll never stop seeing new and exciting gins being released around the world. Tours: Friday 5.00pm, Saturday 2.00pm & 5.00pm, Sunday 2.00pm (Tours must be booked online) Cape Byron Distillery, Byron Bay

Reg Papps, founder and distiller of the Ironbark Distillery in North Richmond in NSW has created a unique Australian gin that takes the descriptor “a sipping gin” to a new level. 313 Dry Wattleseed Gin (40% ABV) is made from a neutral cane spirit, locally sourced water, filtered through carbon and bottled by hand. Botanicals include juniper, cardamom, coriander, lemon zest, vanilla and wattleseed which give makes the gin linger long on the palate with a delicious nuttiness. Sip it neat, in a G&T or add to lemonade and garnish with cucumber, lemon or lime zest. Almost all Australian gin distilleries come up in the shadow of Four Pillars’ deathless popularity, both locally and abroad. It’s not unfounded, and Four Pillars is by no means overrated. Inspired by an iconic Aussie Christmas dish – the pavlova itself, the Australian Xmas Gin is distilled with fresh passionfruit, kiwi and juniper. What sets Australian gin apart is its botanical bill. Distillers forage for indigenous ingredients that speak of their terroir, such as the lemon myrtle, Tasmanian pepperberry, and the illusive finger lime. These are not mere exotic touches but form the heart and soul of the gin, giving it a character that cannot be replicated elsewhere. This deep connection to the land doesn't just end with the botanicals; even the water used in the distillation process is often sourced from pristine local springs, contributing to the gin’s unique taste profile. If you want to leave it to the experts, relaxed licensing rules around the country make it easier to buy pre-batched negronis as takeaways at restaurants, as well as on bottle shop shelves. Mona led the charge during quarantine earlier this year with their takeaway ‘ Unholy Water’ double smoked negronis in miniature bottles, made using a recipe from last years’ Dark Mofo festival. While Adelaide Hills Distillery worked with with Lot. 100 to craft a fantastic 200ml takeaway Wattleseed negroni using their spirits and a wattleseed tea.This unique spirit has been beautifully crafted to capture the essence of a classic London Gin. It has strong juniper and citrus flavours without the alcohol content. To avoid washing away that berry nose, pair Wild Brumby’s craft pink gin with a splash of lemonade or prosecco instead of tonic. Experiment with different fruit garnishes for a fun and colourful beverage. Along with juniper, pepperberry, cassia, star anise, lavender, angelica, lemon myrtle, orange coriander and green cardamom, those shiraz grapes play off an already solid and complex palate with a heap of sweet ripe fruit. Use this to mix up a G&T and you’ll taste why the annual release almost always sells out in an instant. Gregor adds that the membership of the Australian Distillers Association has increased from 30 members in 2014 to 280 at the start of 2021, showing the rapid growth of the domestic distilling industry. “The greatest growth is coming from gin but there are also many more great whisky distillers cropping up all over Australia as well as rum distilleries predominantly in the warmer north of the country,” he says.

Most pink gins I’ve tried either cloying or taste so artificial that it was hard for me to discern whether it really was gin. So, in conclusion, I’m not a fan. More broadly, says IWSR’s Keeling, the main underlying macro trends – such as premiumisation, growing health-consciousness, digitisation and provenance – “have not been interrupted by the pandemic and can be expected to continue throughout the forecast period, to 2024.” This bodes well for the craft sector in Australia. Could they guess the signature botanical? No, but after being told, one of our tasters remarked: “I’ve never eaten a geranium, but I grow them, and I can kind of get it.” The creativity of Australian gin makers is nothing short of remarkable. Some have looked to the ocean, using kelp and sea parsley to impart a saline maritime note that conjures images of the rugged Australian coast. Others have turned to the bush, incorporating eucalyptus to give their gin a fresh, menthol-like quality that is as refreshing as a walk through a eucalypt forest.

Archie Rose Distilling Co is now one of the most prolific in the industry, constantly and consistently pushing out impressive, award-winning spirits across gin, rye whisky and vodka. All three spirits are considered equally important for the Sydney distillery’s immense growth over the years, although arguably Archie Rose Distilling Co is most recognised as a gin distillery.