At this point in my life, it is probably fair to say that red wine & I do not get on…
However, that’s not to say that I don’t enjoy a drop of red. No, no, no my juniper soaked compadres – let’s not go jumping to hasty conclusions now!
But as purveyors of my previous works may know all too well, I am not the most dab of hands when it comes to opening vessels of vino. Whether it be pouring the contents over an unsuspecting restaurant patron, who got more a little more than he bargained for, or decorating my ceiling in an unsuspecting tone of rouge, it would be fair to say that a sommelier I am not.
Perhaps then, with this in mind, it was somewhat naive of my wife to entrust the job of ‘cork removal’, from a particularly troublesome bottle of red, to the hands of a man of my track record. In a similar way to the slap-stick genius character ‘Unlucky Alf’ from The Fast Show (where an unfortunate incident, to be experienced by the unwitting main character, is easily anticipated by the baying audience) the result was an unfortunate foregone conclusion.
Allow me to spare you the gory details. I was wearing a brand new green t-shirt (a gift from my wife no less), with white canvas trainers and an unbeknownst smile. Upon removing the cork, with a satisfying ‘POP’, the respective green and white of my garments were replaced by an all-too-familiar shade of red, with a grimace replacing the ‘happy go lucky’ allure that had once bestowed my face just moments before hand.
But contrary to what could have been popular belief, you’ll find no sour grapes here. In fact, in a story of ‘triumph over adversity’, I have battled on and persevered with drinking (I know, what a hero). I’ve always felt it important to get back on the horse, and I hope I can inspire others to do the same…
So I’ll always prick up an ear when I hear of unique booze collaborations that incorporate my love of gin with the craft of wine making; a liquid I have literally covered (myself in) from head to toe. And when the two collaborators in question comprise of both British & Australian distilleries that I hold in extremely high regard, and close to my heart, then you won’t hear me Wine-ing…. (sorry).
Introducing the latest meeting of minds from two of the industries greats; Warners Distillery & Four Pillars Gin, for their ‘Ozzy Pom’ distillation of Harrington Shiraz Gin.
Harrington Shiraz; More Bloody Gin, but not as you may know it…
By now, you are likely very familiar with both of these brands – not least because I have been singing their praises until hoarse in the throat for the last 6 years or so, such is my admiration for the gins they produce.
Tom & Tina, of Warner’s fame (both in surname and brand name), can count themselves as being my MOST BLOGGED ABOUT GIN EVER, having featured in 5 full length reviews & countless other mentions (once the final full stop is indented on this blog). Driven by a core ethos of sustainability, most evident in their farm grown botanicals, this dynamic duo are a force to be reckoned with on the gin scene. You can head here to find my write ups on their Honeybee Gin, Farmed & Foraged Gin, Warner’s 0% Spirits and the teams Falls Farm Distillery Tour – which, incidentally, is one of the very best Distillery tours that money can buy!
The phrase ‘craft gin’ gets banded about a lot these days. Warner’s is craft gin for sure, in every sense. But I’d go one step further to define it as a ‘graft gin’. Because to have an idea and principle is one thing…to make this kind of ‘Farm to Glass’ business run, to the level of success that Warner’s have achieved, is bloody hard work.
Warner’s perhaps describe it best themselves;
“Saving the world from mediocre gin! It’s dirty hands, hard work, full hearts, and a deep love of the land. Real craft means graft. Real craft keeps you humble. So, raise a glass with us: to CRAFT, to the LAND, to LAUGHTER and LOVED ONES. In the end, those are the THINGS that MATTER most!”
And as for their counterpart to this particular equation. Well, where do I start?! Literally ANYTHING by the Australian heavy weights ‘Four Pillars’ is going to be incredible.
They say that not all heroes wear capes…and when I first met the team at Junipalooza in 2017 I’m slightly embarrassed to say I was almost a little star struck!
The guys at ‘Four Pillars’ live and die by the pillars that underpin their Gin making. No guesses for how many Pillars there are! (…Four. It’s Four…):
1) The Stills – Wilma, Jude, Eileen, Beth, Coral and Linda (all named after the Distillers Mothers, or the Mothers of longstanding employees)
2) The Water – from the Yarra Valley, of course!
3) The best Botanicals that Australia and the rest of the world have to offer
4) Love
And it’s number 4 that really stands out for me. These guys love what they do, and so do I!
So when these two power houses opted to replace their cricketing rivalries for a sharing of the Stills, I was confident that only good things would happen.
This is the fifth in Four Pillars Distiller Series, but perhaps one of their most exciting ventures for me personally. The two teams describe themselves as being “united by a passion for nature-positive gin distillation using the freshest possible farm-grown ingredients, (turning a) mutual admiration between two nature-loving distilleries on other sides of the world (in to) something beautiful!”.
Tom visited the Four Pillars team in their Australian homestead of the Yarra Valley, scoring some of Victoria’s finest Shiraz grapes, wattleseed and strawberry gum along the way. Quite how he explained the little Jiffy bags of herbs & spices to airport security is anyone’s guess… But we can all be pleased that (one way or another) our intrepid hero returned just in time to distil them, back at Harrington HQ. Hurrah!
The result, when combined with the Warner’s iconic recipe of juniper, coriander, orange peel, orris root, elderflower, lemon balm, cloves and peeled cardamom pods? A red wine inspired creation the likes of which you’ve never seen before. Whilst the grapes may be red at source, the London Dry distilling method creates a crystal clear, aromatic and herbaceous gin with a spiced kick.
Harrington Shiraz Gin to taste
As soon as you stick your nose in the glass, there are instantly recognisable characteristics of the Warner’s Harrington Dry – it is distinctively and unmistakably a Warner’s Gin.
There’s a sticky, fresh and resinous scent of piney juniper, riding across the vapours and making them feel thick and luxurious.
There’s a hint of grape like sweetness that appears, amid a profile that feels almost aromatic in its spicing – the twist of botanicals from ‘down under’ provide some interesting points of difference, particularly in the herbal arena. This is Harrington…but not as we know it.
To taste, there is a heightened sense of spicing on the neat spirit, much more so than it’s British half-sibling the Harrington Dry. It gives the neat spirit a much boozier feel, over and above its 40% ABV mark up.
As per the Warner’s hallmark of quality, synonymous with their gins, the ‘ground to glass’ freshness of the greenery is there in abundance. It feels bright, and vivid, transporting you to the fields of the distillery estate.
Let’s get this straight – the juniper is OFF. THE. HOOK! Like, ridiculously good. The Harrington Dry is one of my very favourite gins – here, the teams have collaborated to amp it up on juniper berry-like steroids. And it’s bloody delicious.
The mouthfeel is almost liqueur like in quality, carrying a muted sense of tannin’s and a subtle sweetness of those Shiraz grapes.
The addition of tonic opens up a whole new experience of the gin, unveiling a much more prominent sense of sweetness.
The grape juice seems brighter, with jammier pangs of red fruits, whilst still maintaining a very grown up feel of the piney juniper and supporting hedgerow.
And it’s that aforementioned grape juice that goes a long way to making this a VERY enjoyable Martini, with the sweetness of the grapes and classic sensibilities of the juniper combining to great effect.
Harrington Shiraz Gin; Spending koala-ty time together
Something tells me that I’ll Roo the day that I used that Australia pun… (sorry).
When Four Pillars are involved in a gin, that uses Shiraz grapes no less, it will always be impossible to move away from unfair comparisons with their Bloody Shiraz Gin.
But here is where we must make the distinction between the Harrington Shiraz Gin and the Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz… this remains very much a ‘London Dry’ in its character and profile, and doesn’t carry the same level of sweetness and depth of fruited flavour. The colour alone is a dead give away that, if you came in search of a ‘Bloody Shiraz Vol.2’ then you may leave disappointed…
But not me.
Let’s get this clear; whilst it may not be Bloody Shiraz – it is bloody delicious. And besides, where’s the fun in just recreating what already exists? This is a collaboration that showcases the very best of British, alongside Australian influences and a generous glug of Shiraz grape juice. Following the classic London Dry method of distilling seems to help retain the classic sensibilities of what a gin should be all about, whilst also allowing the teams to flex and push the boundaries.
That said, would this gin displace any of the offerings from either of the brands core lineups? Well…in my opinion, no.
But hear me out! That is not meant as any slight on the Harrington Shiraz Gin or any of the hard work that the teams have put in to its creation. Rather, it is a glowing endorsement of each brand in their own epic right.
If offered the choice of the backbar, I still feel that I would lean towards the juniper assault of either the Warner’s Harrington Dry or the Four Pillars Rare Dry. Or, let’s be honest, the Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz gin. All this means is that, despite making a very good & enjoyable collaboration, my personal opinion is that they have already been outdone…by themselves! Which is no bad thing.
If you are of a more fruit forward persuasion, the counterbalance collaboration in the Four Pillars ‘Green Apple & Rhubarb Gin’, made with the famous Warner’s rhubarb juice and apples from the Yarra Valley, might be right up your street. I know I NEED to get my hands on it for sure!
From one side of the world to the other – cheers.
Contact us
With huge thanks to Michelle at Warner’s Distillery (what a legend!) for hooking me up with a complementary bottle of the Harrington Shiraz Gin.
Make sure you follow the teams across social media to stay on top of all the latest going’s on down on the farm and Down Under!;
Warner’s Distillery
Twitter: @warnersgin
Instagram: @warnersgin
Facebook: @warnersgin
Website: http://www.warnersdistillery.com
Four Pillars Gin
Twitter: @FourPillarsGin
Instagram: @fourpillarsgin
Facebook: @FourPillarsGin
Website: https://www.fourpillarsgin.com
And don’t forget to stop by @theginshelf across all social media platforms for more blogs & event updates. Stop by, say ‘Hi’ & chat gin!
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