Four Pillars Gin has teamed up with New Zealand’s Island Gin to release two brand new collaboration bottles – Wild Isle Gin, and Orange and Mānuka Honey Island Gin.
Island Gin is an off-the-grid craft distillery based on the remote Great Barrier Island, a 45-minute flight north-east of Auckland, where distiller Andi Ross created her Mānuka Honey Island Gin, using oranges to mirror Four Pillars’ signature dry gin.
Wild Isle Gin is the contribution from Four Pillars Gin’s head distiller, Sarah Prowse, the sixth in the Four Pillars Gin Distiller Series and the first to celebrate the two great islands of Australia and New Zealand, and the two female distillers who call them home.
“I have to say Great Barrier Island is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. The rainforest meets the bluest and clearest water and I just knew we were going to make something special,” said Prowse.
“I had in my mind Four Pillars Wild Isle Gin was going to be super coastal and savoury, a reflection of Andi’s home and that’s where the kelp and seawater came in. I also had to work out how to use the kelp and soon realised it was best roasted so I threw that in the pot along with the saltbush, rosemary, Tasmanian pepperberry, bay leaves, and some quandongs for sweetness along with the NZ honey. Ruby grapefruit was added to the basket for a citrussy kick.
“I love this gin. It has a brininess to it and the thread of honey running through it gives it a lovely floral characteristic and, of course, a nod to Andi’s Island Gin. It’s going to be great in a martini,” she said.
The honey, supplied by the local beekeeper on Great Barrier Island, is the one shared ingredient between the two bottles.
Ross distils off-grid in a solar-powered distillery surrounded by native bush. The gin is crafted in small batches and bottled in a sculptural vessel made from 70 per cent recycled New Zealand glass, the first of its kind in the country.
“Sarah’s background as a winemaker really comes through in her approach to structure and balance. I think Wild Isle Gin really reflects her palate and point of view,” said Ross.
“It’s layered, coastal, savoury and I love that she dived for the kelp herself. That kind of integrity matters to me. I also knew when making our gin and how the Mānuka honey works in our distillate, that orange would be the perfect pairing.”
Taking inspiration from the island homes and the botanicals used in the gin, Four Pillars Wild Isle Gin label artwork depicts the local flora and fauna and also glows, a nod to sea life.
Wild Isle Gin is now available to the Four Pillars email database and to the public from 18 September, online at fourpillarsgin.com, the Four Pillars Gin Shop at their Healesville Distillery, as well as Sydney airport (Heinemann), Melbourne airport (Lotte Duty Free) and Auckland airport (Lagardère). Orange and Mānuka Honey Island Gin will be available in Australia exclusively at Four Pillars’ Healesville Distillery, and online at fourpillars.com.
