Four Pillars Australian Christmas Gin for 2021, is spice-laden annual release that smells like gin and tastes like Christmas, has been launched.
The label artwork this year is by artist Andrea Huelin and is an ode to a long, hot, summery Christmas lunch, titled Prawns & Pavlova.
Australian Christmas Gin
This gin is Four Pillars Founder Cam MacKenzie's tribute to four things he loves: Australia, Christmas, gin and his late mum, Wilma.
Each year Wilma would use the 1968 Australian Women’s Weekly recipe to make her puddings on Victoria Derby Day, the Saturday before Melbourne Cup, while the rest of the family listened to the races.
On Derby Day 2015, and again on every Derby Day from then on, Mr MacKenzie and his family, joined by the families of co-founders Stu Gregor and Matt Jones, would make puddings to Wilma’s recipe and put them in the botanical basket of Wilma (the Four Pillars' still, named after Cam’s mum) and distill a gin.
While physically being together for the now annual tradition has proven tricky for the past two years, the spirit of Wilma’s pudding-making lives on as the Mackenzies, Gregors and Joneses continue to make puddings to this recipe together in spirit with a little help from Zoom.
Mr MacKenzie then distills the pudding and ages the resulting gin in Rutherglen Muscat barrels for a year. To finish, he adds a slight tweak of Rutherglen Classic Muscat to round out the palate with a touch of richness.
The resulting gin smells like gin and tastes like Christmas. Aromatics of classic juniper and a hint of cinnamon, backed up with a rich, luscious palate with a hint of sweetness from the Muscat and richness from the extended barrel ageing.
While you can expect the same delicious Christmassy gin, perfect for mixing up a Gin & Ginger or pouring over your pudding, what does change each year is the label.
Cairns-based artist Andrea Huelin has shared her perfect Australian Christmas lunch scene. Ms Huelin is best known for her colourful still life paintings of fruit, glassware and everyday household items and the result, Prawns & Pavlova, is the perfect cool festive lunch for hot Christmas afternoons.
Ms Huelin built her composition using found objects, colourful glassware, delicious homemade food and Australian Christmas Gin. She then photographed her scene in the brilliant Cairns sunshine before painting it in her trademark vibrant style, capturing every shadow, reflection and colour in brilliant vivid detail.
More Four Pillars Merchandise
Four Pillars is also selling its beloved Christmas Gin Puddings, Rare Dry Gin Glaze and Cranberry & Gin Orange Relish for your ham, duck, turkey or pork and Praws & Pavlova linen tea towels.
Four Pillars Australian Christmas Gin: 43.8% ABV RRP: $100.00
Limited release is now available online at fourpillarsgin.com, at our Gin Shops in Surry Hills and Healesville, and at a range of good bottle shops across Australia.
Four Pillars Australian Christmas Gin Pudding, 400g, handmade by Silver Penny Puddings, Kilmore, Yarra Valley. Artwork designed by Andrea Huelin. RRP: $30.00
Four Pillars Cranberry & Gin Orange Relish, 170g RRP: $10.00
Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin Glaze, 170g RRP: $10.00
Four Pillars ‘Prawns & Pavlova’ Tea Towel RRP: $25.00
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