The team at small Australia distillery Four Pillars have combined Yarra Valley Shiraz grapes with their signature Rare Dry Gin to create an unusual yet sought-after Bloody Shiraz Gin, which you can find on liquor store shelves and in bars from June 1, 2019.
“The fruit quality was sensational across the board (thanks growers!),” says Distiller Cam Mackenzie. “We followed the same principles as 2018, harvesting some Shiraz early, looking for spice and red berry characters, and a second parcel later in the season to build colour, sweetness and darker fruit flavours.”
“The resulting colour remains a deep, rich, reddish purple. And in terms of flavour, straight up there are pine forest juniper notes followed by white pepper, dark berries and spices. The palate is beautifully balanced with both sweetness and gin in spades and some nice tannins on the finish,” says Cam.
Bloody Shiraz Gin has no artificial colour or added sugar, and the sugar level is around 60-70% less than what is normally in a sloe gin. Bloody Shiraz Gin is also unfiltered and unfined so what you see and taste is what you get and it will develop interesting secondary characters in the bottle as it ages. Its recommended to drink it within two years of the release date.
Selected bottle shops Australia-wide will be hosting their own Bloody Shiraz Blitz Tasting throughout the day on Saturday, 1 June where punters can taste the all-new 2019 vintage release. Store details are on the Four Pillars website. The 2019 Four Pillars Bloody Shiraz Gin retails for $85.00.
This article originally appeared on Better Homes and Gardens.
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