Two by Four Pillars

Two new releases from the Four Pillars distillery last month: Single Barrel 36 and Rare Old Tom Gin are available for a limited time from Four Pillars online, at Healesville Distillery and the Surry Hills Laboratory.

Single Barrel 36

A gin to be sipped, the way you would a top shelf whiskies. S36 has big, chewy juniper with brown spices of cassia, anise and clove which have developed along with a dark/bitter choc-fruit-nut character. It’s not really a cocktail gin (although an Old Fashioned would be amazing), just a cube of ice and maybe a tiny bit of water to release the aromatics.

Aged in barrels since the very first days of Four Pillars, Barrel S36 is a single barrel initially coopered in Burgundy, France at one of the greatest cooperages in the world: Dargaud & Jaegle. Before arriving at Four Pillars this barrel had matured some of the best and oldest Apera (Australian fortified wine, we once called “Sherry”) for more than 20 years. High proof Rare Dry Gin was aged in this barrel for five years.

RRP: $150

Rare Old Tom Gin

Old Tom is essentially a slightly sweetened gin, based on Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin with a secret addition of sweetness. Old Tom boasts aromas of juniper and spice with the freshness and brightness of citrus, especially lemon myrtle and fresh orange. Drink in a Tom Collins, a Martinez or a G&T with a dry tonic.

Old Tom gin dates back to the 1700s when, it was made out of necessity during England’s mainly illicit Gin-fuelled frenzy – so many poor gins were being made in bathtubs, the drink became known as “Mother’s Ruin".

This Bootleg bathtub gin was pretty crook to taste so to make it palatable, sugar was added.  And because these gins were illegal at the time, the gins were sold from wooden plaques shaped like a black cat – an Old Tom – on the outside wall of some pubs. These were early time drinks vending machines. You would drop in a farthing and receive a quart of gin.

But this Old Tom is actually delicious to taste, and ended up winning the best Australian Old Tom Gin at the World Gin Awards in 2020 and 2022. And a couple of other Gold medals to boot.

RRP: $80