The 2022 vintage of Four Pillars x Yarra Yering 2022 Bloody Underhill Shiraz Gin has been released, featuring new vintage grapes and an extra-aged gin at its base.

The collaboration first began in August 2021, when the distiller released its inaugural single vineyard Bloody Underhill Shiraz Gin made in partnership with Sarah Crowe at Yarra Yering. 

Yarra Yerring’s Underhill vineyard has been planted since 1973, and its near 50-year deep roots and solid structure allow the vines to readily adapt and produce super-premium harvests. After a wet spring, resulting in the Shiraz cropping low and concentrating the flavour, the summer turned quite mild and humid. This light crop combined with mild weather meant great acid accumulation and an extended hang time, allowing excellent flavour development.

Adding a distinct complexity, dry fruit and ginger-spice to this year’s release, the base Four Pillars Rare Dry Gin has been resting in ex-Yarra Yering Dry Red barrels since last year. The team at Four Pillars filled up the barrels ahead of their first single vintage gin and used some from each barrel in 2021. Afterwards, the barrels were topped up with more gin and left until now – creating a solera system of ageing gin. Following the harvest in early March, whole bunches of the Underhill fruit were steeped in this aged gin. 

Three months of steeping later, master distiller Cameron Mackenzie gently pressed the gin and juice, mixing in more solera barrel-aged gin and, similar to the 2021 vintage, a small amount of organic gentian for additional bitterness and mouthfeel.

The final result is a drink far removed from Four Pillars’ regular Bloody Shiraz Gin; deeper in colour, higher in alcohol, more intense in sweetness and considerably more complex in flavour.

The gin will be available from Four Pillars Gin Shops, both online and at the Four Pillars Healesville Distillery and Surry Hills Laboratory from 25 August 2022 with an RRP of $175. 

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