While it seems that 2020 has turned out to be a hell of a year, it seems that Four Pillars Distillery is extending an Olive branch (or should we say Olive Leaf) with the release of their Olive Leaf Gin. Mediterranean-inspired, the Gin is crafted from cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and three different types of olive leaf.
Believed to be one of the distillery’s most exciting releases since its Bloody Shiraz and maybe even its original Rare Dry Gin, the Olive Leaf Gin has already collected its first gold medal at the 2020 World Spirits Competition in San Francisco.
The savoury gin is made from botanicals, including juniper, coriander seed, rosemary, bay leaf, lemon myrtle, macadamia, orris root, lemon and grapefruit with olive leaf and extra virgin olive oil harvested from Cobram Estate.
“After visiting Cobram Estate during olive harvest in 2019 we realised olive oil could be a brilliant botanical alongside olive leaf. The aroma, flavour and texture of fresh olive is stunning, and we did a year of trials before finalising the recipe for this gin,” said Co-founder and distiller Cam Mackenzie.
Designed for cocktail drinkers, the new tipple makes the perfect base for a martini or Gibson – no olive required. It can also be used to make a Spanish-style G&T, served in a gin bowl and garnished with rosemary and lemon.
“My favourite is a Gibson; 60mL gin, 10mL dry vermouth and 10mL dry sherry, stirred down into a super cold glass with a couple of cocktail onions for a garnish,” McKenzie said.
“But again, we are not in the business of making rules, just hopefully delicious gins, so simply make a martini or a cocktail as you like It. The Olive Leaf Gin is also bloody delicious in a Spanish-style gin-tonic, with rosemary and lemon. It makes me want to speak with a lisp and dance a little Flamenco and trust me, you don’t want to see me dance…”
Five years in the making, the idea for the gin originated back in 2015 when the team distilled Cousin Vera’s Gin with Santamanía in Madrid. This first foray into savoury gin, inspired the team and they knew gin and olives would combine beautifully – a fact that they were to confirm with a trip to the olive groves of northern Victoria in 2019.
“We have used olive leaf and oil from the Picual, Hojiblanca and Coratina varieties, all harvested at Cobram Estate which we know is one of the greatest extra virgin olive oil producers in the world, and fellow Victorians. They also happen to be great mates of ours so the world-class olive part of the recipe was easy.”
Olive Leaf Gin will be widely available across Australia from September 2020, with select global markets including the US, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam from October 2020. It will additionally be available in Europe from Easter 2021.
