Four Pillars Sherry Cask Gin

Spicy, oily with flavours of clove, anise

* Gin tasting, The Oak Barrel, Sydney, November 7th, 2018. Gin #6 Nose: Fragrant juniper with floral tones. Aniseed, citrus and wood notes (oak and pine). Palate: Sweet and sour, bitter notes. Dishwashing liquid. With the addition of tonic it gains flavours of fly spray and old dank cupboards. Finish: Medium. Oil of wintergreen, licorice and pine needles. Quite intense with a lot of the barrel showing. Pine needles and wood elements throughout. Apparently, they use a solera process and add a small amount of sherry to the final product before bottling. The nose starts out commanding and full of promise, but the palate is just strange, and disturbingly similar to pine-scented disinfectant or dishwashing liquid. For pity's sake do not add tonic or use this as a mixer because the results are diabolical. It is intended for neat ... appreciation. I’m nonplussed by this gin, as I have tasted several other Four Pillars gins and they have been very good across the board. Sometimes, however, you encounter a spirit that is so left of centre you can only conclude that it is either complete s**t or else your palate is too unsophisticated to appreciate it. In my pride, I’m going with the former conclusion. “Poor” : 60/100 (1 star)